Frank & Charli

by Frank Yandolino

  Lena’s children always resented the time she spent with Marilyn. They felt and still feel that Lena abandoned them, sold them out for her own personal needs. All children want their mother to be at home, but that was the last place Lena wanted to be. All the way up to the end of her life she was hoping for a new apartment and a lot of money. Money was her real love. I found her to be a person who totally looked down at everyone, thinking she was better than them. She refused to go to the West Side of New York, for example, because she thought it was beneath her. She lived on social security but would only shop in the most expensive food stores on the East Side and would look at everything as if it was not good enough. People were not good enough, and the deals and opportunities were never big enough.

  Still, I liked Lena. She did have some good qualities and I guess I wanted her to like me. I spent many afternoons with her. Whenever I would stop by after work she would make me dinner. She was afraid of being alone, so I would sit with her, leaving Frank at home having dinner alone. After Frank finished working on the screenplay he had an idea to write a cookbook based on the dinners Lena prepared for Marilyn and her famous guests. I helped Lena write her stories, taking notes and writing down all of her recipes; the book turned out great.

  With the money she was paid for her first book she invested in an Italian restaurant that she owned and operated. It was a lot of work for her and her family, and as it turned out, grabbing this ball still wasn’t glamorous enough or lucrative enough in her eyes. Continuing to be a cook was not part of her dream, so she spent more time in the dining room entertaining the customers than in the kitchen. She would wear her mink coat that she also bought with the money from her book. A few years later because of poor management the restaurant closed. Lena only had one “vision” of what her ball was like, and as a result she suffered. She wanted to be the star, and she knew stars like Marilyn did not cook.

  One day we got a call that Lena had had a heart attack, and I spent a lot of time in the hospital with her. I would bring her food and feed her. I was the daughter or friend that she never had.

  With Lena, everything revolved around how much money you had. She would ask you straight out, “How much money do you have?” and if there was a room full of people she would sniff out the people she believed had the money. That was her downfall. She was very transparent; her loyalty was not there and it was obvious. I am the type of person that truly likes you; rich or poor, I am there for you. Lena was not that person.

  Her sons felt neglected right from the beginning of their young lives. She was more interested in her fame and fortune, and if Marilyn called, no matter when, she would leave them. During one of her son’s birthdays, a telephone call came from Marilyn and right in the middle of the party she left and went to California. I was to find out later Marilyn would pay her extra cash for those extra requests but she never told her husband, Joey. The boys never got over that. They actually wanted Frank to make a movie about how sad they felt and how sad they still feel. A mother can scar a child and Lena did just that. She was one of a kind. Never satisfied or really happy, always looking for something better, never enjoying what she had.

  Lena’s apartment was like a shrine to Marilyn. Sometimes I felt her presence and I would wonder what Marilyn might have thought of how Lena would do anything for money. Everyone made money on Marilyn, but I am sure Marilyn would not have believed how Lena took any and every opportunity to make money on their friendship. You are what you eat and you reap what you sow. Unfortunately, that was true for both Marilyn and Lena.

  The screenplay feels like I hit a ball that’s going to be a home run. The ball is in the air, going and going, but not yet out of the park because the outfield wall keeps on moving back. As it turns out this ball is still in the air. Just today, in fact, September 10, 2012, I got a call from a Marilyn lookalike actress who heard about me and my script. She claims a producer friend of hers may be interested in making my movie or producing my original idea to put it on Broadway. Hopefully this ball will get over that wall sooner than later.

  As far as I’m concerned everybody is full of shit except me and Charli.

  CHAPTER 23

  Signal to Space Concerts

  In a flash, the Internet can spread photos, videos, ideas, messages, and stories worldwide. The proverbial ball was in the air again in 2006. Michael Luckman, founder and director of Cosmic Majority, an organization dedicated to the cosmos and alien research, called wanting to know if I could help him figure out what he could do with an idea he had regarding a music concert revolving around aliens and outer space. Even he wasn’t quite sure what he or that meant.

  I have discovered that most people don’t; the ones I meet usually just have a thought or an idea and do not or cannot think it out, and that’s when they call me. Mike questioned whether I thought it was a good idea. They all try to get a quick fix without paying their dues. That’s when I say, “This is your dream. You woke up this morning with this idea, not me, and in order for me to work on your dream this is my fee.”

  After several discussions and an arrangement between us, a concept and idea was born. My goal was not just to do a concert predicated on the belief of aliens. I thought it may be difficult to sell to investors and especially sponsors without a better hook, concept, and plan—one they could use to promote their brand and get a return on their investment. So we developed the germ of an idea. We would broadcast the concert music and visuals into outer space and spread the word of peace and harmony. Now we were on to something that I could bite my teeth in.

  When I realized we could actually beam images to the moon and beyond, it hit me. I made a comment: “Wouldn’t it be funny if we could project Michael Jackson actually moonwalking on the moon?” The idea began to grow. We called the event the Signal to Space Concerts. Mike had connections to Michael Jackson and, equally important, to Michael’s mentor, healer, clock stopper, and spoon bender at that time, Uri Geller.

  I called Uri Geller, got him on his cell phone while he was in London, and told him the concept. Uri flipped out, saying that he loved the idea and thought it would be great for Michael. He said he would talk to him and get back to me. Several days later, we spoke again. He said Michael liked the idea and wanted Uri to put it together and get back to him with more information. That is when Uri asked me to send him a first-class round-trip airline ticket to New York and $5,000. Two days later it hit the press, first a full page with photos in the New York Post, then internationally, in all media including the Internet.

  “Whacko Jackson to Moon Walk on the Moon,” read one of the many headlines.

  I immediately called Peter Saile, my funding partner in past events, and ran down the idea. He thought it would be a fantastic moneymaker and so we were off to the races, forming a company and setting off for Germany. Flying into Tempelhof Airport in Berlin is like no other experience. Imagine the plane approaching the airport by flying in just over the treetops and houses, and then landing in the middle of the city. The idea to surround the airport by houses and buildings was conceived by Adolf Hitler in order to protect him, his troops, and the airport from Allied bombs. He knew the Allies wouldn’t bomb the airport if innocent people living in those houses protected it. So instead of bombing it, the Americans flew into it and delivered the famous Berlin Airlift. The planes flew in under fire and delivered food and medical supplies to a starving, cut-off city. What a history. And now we were proposing to stage our event right there at Tempelhof.

  I felt like an alien on our way to Switzerland from Berlin during our fourth attempt at getting the big money. We booked a flight on a new airline, Berliner Airlines something or other. During the flight, the stewardess came around taking drink orders. This was when airlines for the first time decided to cut back on what used to be free services.

  “Sir, would you like something to drink?”

  “Yes, please, may I have a cup of coffee, dark with skim milk and one sweetener? Thank you.”

  Several m
inutes went by, and as she walked by again I asked her, “Excuse me, may I have some water, please?” She answered me in a strong German accent in a tone natural to Germans; they weren’t and still aren’t fond of Americans.

  “No.” She realized her curt response, forgetting she was the servant, and came back with a forced smile. “You already had your free beverage.’’

  “What? I just want to take my pills. I would like some water. I can’t believe this. I have traveled to the jungles of India; they gave me water …’’

  By now, everyone on the plane was listening to my conversation. She wouldn’t budge. “Sorry. Would you like to purchase something?’’

  “No, let me ask you a question. Since we are only entitled to one beverage, what if I ordered a half cup of coffee and a half cup of water—would that be acceptable?”

  I was joking, of course, but she walked away saying, “I will check.” She came back moments later with an answer only the Germans could give. “We had a meeting regarding your request, and it was decided you could do that as long as next time you fly, you let us know in advance.”

  She was dead serious, and the whole plane burst out laughing. To add to the ridiculousness, several minutes later we were all given free Coke samples as part of a promotion. Go figure.

  Peter and I continued trying to raise millions of dollars for the Signal to Space Concerts. Our idea was growing, and so was my confidence that we could beam, via pulsed lasers and satellites, music and images of the live performers and concert goers to the moon and beyond. There was also room to push the possibility that it might reach intelligent life and the hope of receiving a signal back from space. I added the spin that the concerts would also be a showcase for science and technology, hoping to lure additional sponsors. The initial three SIGNAL TO SPACE CONCERT™ events were to take place in Germany, Japan, and the United States.

  These concerts would represent the largest live outdoor music events in the world, and would feature performances by leading rock and pop superstars. But this would be much more than just an outdoor concert; it was a full-blown music cultural festival with scientific experiments, featuring exhibitions and displays that would focus on the future of our planet and developments in new technology, alternative energy, health, and the environment. We acquired actual flying saucers that could hover over the crowd with interactive robots and brain wave machines that could take signals of your brain and turn them into projected graphic images, and much more.

  We hired Jerry Standish as our due diligence expert. He always said no. I always say yes. He was hired to attend all our meetings, take notes, and report back to the board of directors on what he learned. He was great at it, except he always found too many problems with the potential projects. We couldn’t go forward. One day I called him into my office.

  “Jerry, you are very diligent, you see all the problems, but if you keep finding problems with everything and saying no to new business opportunities we won’t have a business. So instead of no, please find a solution. Like the little Dutch boy finding a hole in the dike.”

  Stick your finger in the hole and say yes or I will be forced to fire you.

  But he couldn’t do it. Saying no was easier for him. The Chicken Little theory applied, so I shot him. The show kept growing and growing and everybody wanted to get involved. Among the scientists and celebrities on the future SIGNAL TO SPACE™ Advisory Team were Dr. Edgar Mitchell, the former Apollo 14 astronaut trained to be America’s first man on Mars; Brian O’Leary; radio personality Art Bell; Dr. Tom Van Flandern, former chief astronomer for the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC; and Stanton Friedman, a Canada-based nuclear physicist.

  Many celebrities have reported close encounters with UFOs. John Lennon and his then-girlfriend, May Pang, claimed they were completely naked when a UFO as big as a house maneuvered near the roof of their building. John allegedly ran out and yelled loudly to the flying saucer, “Stop! Take me with you!” World boxing champion Muhammad Ali was jogging in New York’s Central Park early one morning while training for his title fight against George Foreman when he supposedly spotted a large UFO. A golden disc may have saved the life of actor William Shatner of Star Trek fame, who became lost in the California desert on a motorcycle when he was told telepathically which way to ride back to civilization. Singer David Bowie had a telescope peering through the roof of his limousine so he could search for aliens. Mick Jagger found that the alarm kept going off on his UFO detector every time he left his estate in England. The list of celebrities who believe in extraterrestrials and have had strange encounters is growing all the time.

  In the early nineties, along with three other partners, we formed a company, Interconnections, whose only business was to present programs using new interactive voice technology. We joined and partnered with Unisys Technology, an early leader in the field. They helped us develop our own system. Our idea—allow a customer to have simulated interactive live conversations with celebrities and stars over the telephone, cell, or computer using pre-recorded audio and voice recognition—was way ahead of its time. I believed this was the future, and indeed it was. Unfortunately for us, at that point back then it was too far in the future. Now some fifteen years later, without me, that communication technology has made it into our daily life on computers, cell phones, and cars.

  Speaking of cars and timing, while Peter and I were having meetings in Germany with investors and sponsors for our space concerts, we met with the president of BMW Motors. I presented our idea, emphasizing the fact that we were all about technology and how that could benefit the BMW brand. He responded by saying he liked the idea very much, but he pointed out that BMW is marketed to a slightly older customer and a high-end buyer than the younger audiences we were targeting. He suggested, however, that the Mini Cooper might be a better fit based on our market. I immediately grabbed the ball.

  “I believe we could hit each of our goals and market demographics.”

  I had his attention and began to reveal my idea, developing it as I spoke. The more he seemed interested the more I went on until I painted the perfect picture.

  “We would go after the college and young adult market and turn the Mini Cooper into an extension of the dorm room.” I set the hook and he took the bait.

  “Interesting. What do you mean by that? Extending the dorm room?”

  “We will equip the Mini Cooper with the ability to do what you do in your home or dorm room in your car. It will be completely interactively voice-activated, hands free, plug in your cell phone, listen to your music or the radio, broadcast or Internet, get directions, go shopping, request movie theaters and restaurants, go online, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth …”

  He liked it very much and suggested I speak to their marketing director. We had several phone and mail conversations, and once we were able to go forward with our funding and Space Concert plans, they said yes. This was 2006.

  We never did launch our concerts, though; it was too big an idea, and cost too much to launch, even though we raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in development funds. I should have targeted the concept and developed the bigger picture at hand, which was to equip cars with these features. This has now in 2012 come to market, again without me. This is a perfect example of grabbing the ball without the ability to bring it into the market at the right time. I was too focused on what I perceived was the big picture, but not able to see what was right in front of me. The same thing happened when designing my sheets and pillow cases. I produced and created full color photo-like images on fabric, which itself became an entire business of its own. In order to be successful, you have to recognize your invention. With my sheets and then the technology, I just didn’t see sometimes you have be able to see the trees from the forest.

  Having a good idea ahead of its time is as bad as having a bad idea.

  The Spirit of India 2007

  Still, I was not giving up on my Space Concerts. Even as the possibility began to fizzle away I decided to call Artie Kornfeld.
After I explained the concept he said maybe we could combine it with his new project, saying he was asked to produce a Woodstock festival in India. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get the rights to use the name without losing control to Michael. So he did not want to call it Woodstock anything, thereby avoiding having to deal with Michael and Woodstock Ventures entirely. Artie knew my past history in India, so he arranged to bring me along to assist him as a line producer, or coproducer, or adviser, or consultant; he was never quite sure what to call me. He just knew he needed my help. The investors in India agreed they would put up the money without Woodstock as part of the name. Artie came up with The Spirit Festival. It reminded me of Frank Costanza’s Festivus Festival from Seinfeld. The generic name ended up being beneficial though, as I later expanded the concept to the rest of the world by first calling it the Spirit of India then the Spirit of Africa, China, Dubai, or anywhere they might want to do one.

  During Artie’s first trip, his investor and copartner Lalit’s family and friends put up the initial investment. They were getting nowhere and going crazy. Artie, playing all ends from the middle as is his custom, made a similar deal at the same time he was working with Lalit, with another group headed by Jackie Shroff—the famous bad-boy Indian actor—that ended in a disaster of mudslinging articles, rumors, and stories in the media. Artie couldn’t avoid disaster himself; he claims that while he was looking to score hashish from Jackie’s friends, a group took him for a ride, hijacked him, and stole all his money. I doubt anyone will ever know the reality of that story.