Meet the West Coast Bureau Chief at Exceptional People Magazine

Sharon Raiford Bush assumed this position in May, 2010.

Steve Railsback — The eyes have it, hands down

Hollywood, CA — Celebrated actor Steve Railsback possesses  “the scariest eyes in the entertainment industry,” so state many of his fans from across the globe.

In fact, the topic of his hypnotic-type of eyes has arisen so many times, this unique branding has attached itself to the actor like a permanent tattoo — something that would take major reconstructive surgery to eradicate.

It was a kind of trademark Railsback accepted ever since he portrayed convicted murderer Charles Manson in the 1976 television film “Helter Skelter.”

Railsback played the pseudo hippie eerily to perfection.  But the stage-trained actor is quick not to take credit for those evil eyes which terrified audiences and resulted in an outbreak of nightmares by those captivated by Railsback’s performance in the award-winning series.

“Rather than being my own trait, it was actually his,” Railsback told journalist Zander Silverman in the September/October issue of Exceptional People Magazine.  “So I implemented it into my performance. The eyes you see in my character are the eyes of that character.”

To prepare himself for the role, Railsback said he place himself in isolated repression for about an hour each day, among other tricks of the trade.

For decades, the prolific actor has been far removed from solitude.  His name is attached to scores of stage, film and television projects. His long list of screen credits is available at IMDb and on his official Web site.

Moreover, Railsback is a dedicated husband, father and humanitarian.

He and his wife, Marcy, are staunch supporters of Doctors Without Borders and (WM2!), a program that helps average youth between the ages of seven and 12 deal with everyday problems and situations.  He and his family also provide aid and in-kind services to Habitat for Humanity, cancer research and Families with Children from China.

To read more about what Railsback is doing to make a difference in the world around him, click here to go to his preview page at Exceptional People Magazine. You’ll also find never-before-published photos of Railsback and his family at this site.

His rise to fame will thrill you. If you’re an aspiring actor, his story will inspire you.

Raul Julia-Levy: ‘Love cannot be divided’

LOS ANGELES, CA — “I was raised around several families and I was a quiet little boy and the least popular kid at school most of my childhood,” revealed actor/producer/animal welfare activist Raul Julia-Levy in an exclusive interview with Exceptional People Magazine.

Patti was just 24 hours away from euthanasia before Julia-Levy rescued her. Copyrighted photo by Michael Doven.

“I had dogs, cats, horses and even a little pony. I loved them all the same. My grandfather told me that love cannot be divided between them and that animals have very sensitive feelings.

“Therefore, you must love them all the same way.”

Julia-Levy is currently preparing to film “Havana Heat,” opposite Hollywood icon Wesley Snipes.

Next Spring, he and Snipes will begin production on “Chronicles of the Mayan Tunnel,” an effects-driven 3D major motion picture based on Julia-Levy’s yet-to-be-released novel by the same name.

Julia-Levy has vowed to donate his salary and partial box-office receipts from “Chronicles of the Mayan Tunnel” to help the indigenous peoples of Mexico and benefit select animal causes.

The film is slated for worldwide release in December, 2012.

To read Julia-Levy’s entire interview, go here.

To learn more about Julia-Levy’s television and film career, go here.

Actor Raul Julia-Levy bares his soul for Exceptional People Magazine

LOS ANGELES, CA — He has been waiting for nearly two decades to set the record straight and confront some of his most intimate and profound secrets. Ever since he relocated to the United States from his home country of Mexico, news reporters from across this massive globe have hounded the celebrated figure who carries two legendary last names hyphenated as one.

But it was a former American freedom fighter-turned-veteran journalist to whom actor/producer Raul Julia-Levy would become comfortable enough to share his magnanimous legacy, breakdown the complexity of his mystique and explore his all-encompassing passion and dreams — an onion-layered trifecta which has made him a magnet for heads of state, potentates and Hollywood celebrities alike.

In an exclusive cover story for the September/October issue of Exceptional People Magazine, Julia-Levy explicates in graphic detail that life-altering day when his mother revealed to the 17-year-old his true parentage.

Up until that Spring day, Julia-Levy had been reared by his beloved grandfather — the late Abraham Levy, patriarch of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in all of Latin America.

It was during the dawn of Julia-Levy’s manhood when he learned for the first time that his biological father was a prominent star of Broadway, television and major motion pictures.  Up until then, he was led to believe his father was someone else.

In the article, Julia-Levy opens up about meeting his father, late actor Raúl Juliá – best remembered for his performances on stage in “Two Gentleman of Verona,” and on the silver screen in “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” and “The Addams Family.”  It was a planned meeting that would forever change the trajectory of Julia-Levy’s being and place into focus his purpose in life.

As a man, Julia-Levy is a fine representation of the two strong men who helped mold his character. His maternal grandfather taught him how to love and respect the world around him. His biological father showed him how to live.

Julia-Levy has grown to become an accomplished animal welfare advocate, actor and film producer.  He is set to star in “Havana Heat,” opposite Wesley Snipes and Joey Lawrence.

Also look for Julia-Levy to star in “Chronicles of the Mayan Tunnel,” a screen adaptation of a book he authored by the same name.  The 3-D film is slated for a December, 2012, release.

The multi-talented humanitarian has vowed to donate his salary and a percentage of box office receipts to aid the indigenous peoples of Mexico and other benevolent causes.

To read Julia-Levy’s entire story, go here.

Contact author: EPmagWest@aol.com

Raul Julia-Levy: Wesley Snipes is ‘innocent’

Raul Julia-Levy stands by actor Wesley Snipes

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA — “Wesley should continue entertaining the world with his memorable performances while making a benevolent difference within social groups of all sizes.”

Julia-Levy’s comments come just two days after a federal appeals panel upheld on July 16 a three-year prison sentence on federal tax charges for Wesley Snipes, an actor best known for his starring role in “Blade,” an action-adventure trilogy.

In 1999, Snipes won a Blockbuster Entertainment award in the category of “Best Actor.” The film, “Blade,” garnered an ASCAP award in the field of “Top Box Office Films.” In the popular comic-book adaptation, Snipes plays an immortal with the soul of a human and a heart of a hero.

In real life, Snipes is also a film producer, martial artist and a dedicated family man.

In 2003, he married world-renowned painter Nakyung (“Nikki”) Park, mother of his four youngest children who are all under the age of 10.

“These children need their father,” said Julia-Levy. “America needs him.”

On September 11, 2001, Snipes’ apartment was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers; he was on the west coast at the time.

The following year, Snipes supported the fund-raising efforts of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He has proven through his actions that he is committed wholly to improving the lives of all Americans, said Julia-Levy.

Over the past seven years, Snipes has completed a dozen film projects which have brought jobs and needed revenue to such appreciative cities as Providence, RI, Brooklyn, NY, and Detroit, Michigan, a once bustling metropolis that was knocked to its knees by the recession and its sluggish recovery.

Of late, Snipes joined a hands-on allegiance with Flaunt My Pet, an animal welfare awareness campaign helmed by Julia-Levy that raises the general public’s level of consciousness to the plight of pet abandonment, a costly national crisis that has ballooned out of control since the recession dropped anchor in 2007.

In addition to Snipes, Julia-Levy has garnered a blossoming roster of unwavering support from some of the entertainment world’s greatest luminaries, including Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford and Elton John.

“Wesley should be afforded an opportunity in America to continue to advocate and support the growing number of troubled pets which face euthanasia each year because their previous owners can no longer afford to care for them.

“This recession has created a ripple effect that Wesley and my team are trying with all our might to alleviate,” said Julia-Levy. “People fail to realize that our country is in a crisis situation financially. Wesley is helping to make a positive difference.

“He’s a real-life hero.”

Other humanitarians backing Snipes include actors Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson, as well as television judges Joe Brown and Greg Mathis, who have all submitted letters on Snipes’ behalf to the judge who sentenced him in April 2008.

“Wesley is a good man, a great human, and an exceptional humanitarian,” said Julia-Levy. “He is one hundred percent innocent.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mr. Julia-Levy provided journalist Sharon Raiford Bush with these exclusive comments. Raiford Bush is the west coast bureau chief of Exceptional People Magazine.

Hungarian music composer honored by American magazine

LOS ANGELES, CA — He is recognized by both his fans and peers as being one of the sexiest music composers alive. It’s difficult to dispute such a claim after laying eyes on Levente Egry, a prodigy from Budapest, Hungary, who once opened for the late Michael Jackson.

Levente Egry is a musical prodigy from Budapest, Hungary

But behind his quiet demeanor and incredible talent, there is a story about a musical phenom who depends on the composition of sentimental music to help couples bring passion back into their lives while he copes with his own private demons.

In a raw and revealing interview, Egry speaks candidly to Washington, DC, journalist Monica Davis in a 7-page article, revealing for the first time his deepest and darkest secrets while growing up behind the Iron Curtain.

“After learning about Levente Egry, I just had to share his amazing story with the world and what he’s doing to make a difference in the lives of so many strangers,” said Davis, publisher of Exceptional People Magazine.

To read the entire article, click here.

Before I was myself, you made me…me

Journalist Sharon Raiford Bush with her mother, Myrtle Raiford, in 1958.

Before I was myself you made me, me…with love and patience, discipline and tears. Then, bit by bit, you stepped back to set me free. You have been my greatest inspiration because you allowed me to sail upon my sea, though well within the protective headlands of your fears.

But before I became myself, you made me, me.

With big dreams of what I was to be and hopes that would be sculpted by the years, bit by bit you stepped back to set me free. You relinquished your powers to allow me to shape myself.

But before I was myself you made me, me,

And being good and wise like dancers when the last sweet cadence nears, bit by bit you stepped back to set me free.  You gracefully stepped back to set me free.

You taught me that love inspires naturally. You showed me that the mind assents to whatever the heart reveres.  And so it was through LOVE that you made me, me — by slowly stepping back to set me free.

Thank you, Mom, for having faith in me and letting me be.

Thank you for giving me life, then setting me free.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Todd Bridges’ “father” reacts to actor’s breakdown

LOS ANGELES, CA — “Watching Todd [Bridges] experience an emotional breakdown on national television truly pierced my heart,” said veteran actor Grand L. Bush, who portrayed the former child star’s abusive father in the 2000 short film titled “Building Bridges.”

Todd Bridges confronted his demons on national TV.

Bush was one of millions who, on April 28, watched talk show host Oprah Winfrey help Bridges confront the phantoms of his past when she asked the troubled actor-turned-book author read aloud painful passages from his newly released book, entitled Killing Willis. It was an emotional twist during daytime television that was raw, unexpected and potentially therapeutic.

Bridges read, in his own words, his haunting experience with a trusted mentor and publicist whom, he revealed, sexually abused him at the formative age of 11. As he began speaking, Bridges’ hands shook. He fought back tears. A knot developed in his throat.

Said Bridges: “He pulled my pants down. He put his mouth on me and I got hard. I didn’t know where to look or how to feel. I squirmed against the back of the seat. I hoped it would be over fast. That’s what happened. I came.”

He added, “As I confessed and I was upset about it, I liked the way that it felt. I didn’t think about whether or not it was wrong.”

Bridges held his head in his hand and started crying as he put the book down and told Winfrey, “I’m past it but it still hurts because it ruined my life. I spent the rest of my time trying to cover up how I felt about it, that pain.”

He then lost his composure.

After a commercial break, Bridges identified his alleged molester as Ronald [Rayton] — a musician-turned-publicist who, Bridges said, tried to take the place of his father. It was Bridges’ mother who saw her son’s behavior toward the publicist turn violent while in the privacy of the Bridges’ home.

Said Bridges: “My mother took me off of him. I think she knew right away what had happened.”

Wielding a knife, Bridges’ mother said she chased the man from their Baldwin Hills home, then phoned her son’s father — who refused to believe their son had been sexually molested.

“That really destroyed me because my father was supposed to be my protector,” said a sobbing Bridges. “He didn’t protect me.”

Before portraying Bridges’ father, Jim, in the film “Building Bridges,” Bush said he had never met Bridges’ sire. “Todd told me that his dad was a mean person and as an actor, I had to place myself in that mindset,” said Bush. “At one point, Todd told me that my acting gave him chills because so many deep-seated fears for him re-surfaced. I became his father.

“I think this was Todd’s first attempt at facing one of his more disturbing demons.”

Bush, who first met Bridges on the set of Diff’rent Strokes, added, “I am so proud of the man Todd has become and for successfully making the long journey back from the dark side. Hopefully his revealing book will help many others like him face their demons head on and turn their lives around for the better.”

Source:

Jam! Television

Oprah.com

Sandra Bullock finally speaks — kind of

Sandra Bullock supports animal protection and welfare, the reason D.E.L.T.A. Rescue reached out to her.

Oscar winner Sandra Bullock may be maintaining a low profile of  late in the wake of her recent domestic troubles, but she has responded to at least one organization — and it was not a news group.

Recognizing her longtime commitment to animal protection and welfare, D.E.L.T.A. Rescue sent Bullock an email on March 23 offering its support by wishing her well during these difficult times. “We just wanted to let her know that we were there for her as she has been for our animal population,” said a representative of D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, an animal sanctuary located northeast of Los Angeles. “We simply encouraged her to stay strong and did not expect to receive a response.”

But Bullock did respond and did so immediately. “Thank you so much!” was Bullock’s reply to the email correspondence.

Earlier this year, when she and estranged husband Jesse James’ beloved pit bull, CinnaBun, went missing, friends of the then Oscar-nominee noted that she’d rather have their pet back than win an Oscar. Happily for Bullock, she got both! But there’s another reason pet lovers like D.E.L.T.A. Rescue show Bullock such devotion; she’s the mother of two special needs rescue pups, which she discussed recently on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Poppy, a Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix, has three legs, and Ruby the Chihuahua has just two legs (you can see them both at PetSugar). And while they might be missing a limb or two, it’s evident they’re not missing any love.

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue is reported to be the largest care-for-life animal sanctuary of its type in the world. It was founded in 1979 by actor/conservationist/animal welfare activist Leo Grillo.

D.E.L.T.A. stands for Dedication & Everlasting Love To Animals.

Source: http://www.tonic.com/article/oscar-winner-sandra-bullock-is-a-big-winner-with-animal-lovers-too/

Saving the Santa Clara River — on shot at a time

LOS ANGELES, CA — Environmentalists have long voiced concerns about Newhall Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley. The proposed master planned community will include a massive community consisting of 20,000 new homes, shopping centers and industry.

The endangered Santa Clara River by Peter Goin/ANIMALS ON THE EDGE

Concerns have centered on how construction will have an impact on water resources in the region, wildlife habitat, the endangered Spineflower, and the Santa Clara River. Some consider the latter, which runs through the proposed development, to be Southern California’s last major wild river.

Developers of Newhall Ranch are currently awaiting approval of draft environmental impact reports for the first village in the community, Landmark Village, and the river corridor and high country areas.

Environmentalists are still making their voices heard.

Photographer Peter Goin, research associate Scott Hinton, and environmentalist/animal welfare activist Leo Grillo recently compiled a portfolio of photographs that show the Santa Clara River in its natural undeveloped state. They’re hoping the photos will serve to encourage developers and government officials to further limit Newhall Ranch’s encroachment on the river.

“We’ve made a portfolio of 60 photographs and produced large museum quality prints and seven or eight fine art panoramas,” said Peter Goin. “Regardless of what happens to the river, there’s a historical record. We want to get the photos into a historic archive to celebrate the river’s preservation…or not.”

Goin is a Regents & Foundation Professor of Art in photography and videography at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has authored numerous books and served as editor of “Arid Waters: Photographs From the Water in the West Project.”

He began conducting the photo survey three years ago. He and Scott Hinton have documented the landscape of the whole distance of the river and surrounding environment. They have also taken photos of some of the effects of construction.

Goin said his main interest is exploring the importance of rivers running through metropolitan areas and how to preserve riparian – a term that refers to the environment in and around water ways – open spaces.

“Part of the goal is to facilitate discussion and to add our voice to the choir that recognizes the importance of homes, community and the natural world,” said Goin. “I am first an educator; that’s how I use photography.”

Goin said what he finds most intriguing about the Santa Clara River is its wide breadth and length. He considers preserving the river in its natural state an “overwhelming opportunity” for people in neighboring communities to have a place to find refuge.

Broader project

“This work was not intended to be an anti-development project; it’s broader,” said Goin. “It’s designed to focus visual attention on the opportunity to preserve this river and create a truly functioning riparian habitat for people to enjoy.”

Leo Grillo, president of an organization called Animals on the Edge and the one who encouraged Goin to do the photo survey, is an outspoken opponent of development on the Santa Clara. He presented copies of the photo portfolio to Los Angeles and Ventura county officials on March 2, 2010.

The Animals on the Edge website said the goal of the project is to take the images, together with new, additional photographic works, travel the U.S. in a museum exhibition and eventually compile the photos in a monographed book.

“This photographic survey is a visual reminder of another American treasure we cannot afford to ignore or lose,” said Grillo. “Future generations will be thankful that we all worked together during our lifetime to save this river.”

Newhall Land, developer and master planner of Newhall Ranch, has gone through a public process about the project for the past 15 years, said Marlee Lauffer, spokesperson for Newhall Land. The final EIR for the whole development was approved in 2004.

The company is currently implementing plans for specific components of Newhall Ranch. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing public comments on the river corridor and high country draft EIR and should make a decision by mid 2010.

The draft EIR for Landmark Village is still in a public comment period that is expected to end on Wednesday, March 17. Lauffer said the company expects it to go before the board of supervisors by summer. “The river is a very important focus,” said Lauffer, “and it will be kept in a largely natural state that preserves habitat and wildlife.”

That report said, among other environmental initiatives, developers plan to protect the river corridor by creating buffers of native upland habitat 100-200 feet wide to separate the river from the community.

Source: Eric Billingsley/San Fernando Valley Business Journal