Prayers for our friend Sajjad (Jim)

Jim and Olivia. "There you go."

Wanted to give a shout out to our friend Sajjad Hussain, a good pal from Chicago who is originally from Pakistan.  I met him when he was working for a home hospice care group, and he came and took care of my father. My father and Sajjad (nickname Jim) bonded quickly, they became very close, and it was Jim who called to tell me the day he passed.

Later Jim opened his own Quiznos in greater Chicago - it was a giant step forward for his family and his future, but because of a number of reasons, not much parking, bad location, it didn't work out for him.  So he had to take two jobs, and was working full time for his wife and beautiful daughter when the stroke hit.

Jim and his daughter Nadia at Quiznos

He was driving his daughter at the time, and pulled over to the side of the road.  It was a massive stroke that might have taken another man's life, but it just knocked him flat, and has put him at home.  He's due to undergo surgery in a few weeks to relieve pressure on the brain.

Needless to say, he's been thrown for a loop.

I'm doing what I can from Santa Monica to keep up his spirits.  He called the other day, deeply depressed at his current situation, as he felt he was driving his dear wife and daughter to distraction with all the care that's needed.  I suggested that he needed some kind of mental exercise to keep his mind fit - to keep it off the situation he's currently in and to help him in general.  I was talking to him about meditation - and an image popped into my head, and I suggested that we play a full cricket match together.

Jim and my mom. She adored Jim.

Now I don't know the first (or last thing) about cricket.  I do know that when I was at a cricket match with my friend, the Australian film director Phillip Noyce, I turned to see tears in his eyes.  I said "What's wrong?"  He said "As a little boy growing up in Australia I would listen to these games on the radio, played in this far off exotic place called the West Indies. And now here I am."  I never met a truer cricket fan.  Until I met Sajjad.

When he was working for my dad, he told me he was taking a class in public speaking to help him communicate. Tall, handsome, with a quick wit and easy laugh, I was surprised he became tongue tied in public.  He was taking a course in speech giving, and I suggested talking about something he loved; cricket. He took at bat down to the class and gave his impassioned speech about a game he loved.  It gave him the confidence to be able to pursue his dream of owning his own business.

So when I suggested a meditation, I said "Why don't we play a cricket match together?  You supply the players, pick each one - and you'll imagine each and every pitch." He said he could do that.  We chose a stadium. Lords in London.  He began to choose my team for me.. and his own for him.  We started off in the match.. and seven hours later, he called to tell me, sadly, that I had lost.

Former Cricket player & film director Phillip Noyce

"That's not fair!" I protested that I had lost the match. I contacted Phillip to ask him for a couple of imaginary players to be added to my imaginary team; he gave me two historic players; Don Bradman, the greatest Aussie batsman of all time, and Shane Warne who can really throw a "wrong 'en."  (Which I guess is a bit like throwing a googli, another throw I've heard of, yet have no clue how to do it.)

Anyways, our teams are below, and the next match is Monday.  If you're moved by Jim's passion or plight, please don't hesitate to write a reply to this post, I'll pass along the messages to him. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE "JIM FUND" - follow the link, and I will see that he gets every penny.

 Our two teams:

"The Mighty Martinis"

Ricky Ponting

Adam Gilchrist

Sachin Tandulkar

Ian Botham

Imran Kahn

Malcolm Marshall

Shane Warner

Don Bradman

3 substitutions

Sajjid Hussain's team: The Bulls

Chris Gayle

Sir Viv Richards

Kieron Pollard

Bob Willis

Martin Crowe

Majid Kahn

Waqar Younis

Rajid Latif

3 alternates.

score of the first match: 283 (Bulls won).  

second match 262 Martinis won. (Bulls scored 215 but Martinis bat first)

Whatever you can donate for our friend Jim will go directly to him. Please make a note 'FOR JIM' or the word 'CRICKET' and I'll know where it will go. Thank you.

"Salt" to theaters in July...

Just a few words here in praise of "Salt."

I had the great opportunity to work on this film the past year.. I created a previsualization site where everyone on the cast and crew could view the Director's Vision on a daily basis - Phillip Noyce would ask me to search things out for him, and I'd post them daily on this web page.  There was character background info for the actors, links to the story boards, clips of all the locations and just about everything that could go into a film appeared on this one page.  I'd update it every day so that all the crew members were on the same page as Phillip.  Then one day he handed me a digital camera and asked me to shoot some flashback sequences for him - not sure if any will actually make the final cut, but during the editorial process, it was hilarious to see the footage I shot on a Sony HD cam show up on the big screen.  Oh, and I also appear in the film - look for me as a driver for Evelyn Salt when she is brought out of North Korea. I nearly killed my precious cargo when I nearly turned into a huge army truck during the shot, but it was fun speeding around with August Diehl, who plays Salt's husband.

I've seen a rough cut of the film and it jumps off the screen.  Phillip is really a master of this genre, and knows how to take something and amp it up without losing story focus, or what the emotional impact might be. And I can't praise Angelina Jolie enough - I was startled by her ability to nail each scene over and over again, under sometimes bizarre circumstances, while flying, jumping, leaping, kicking or doing all the stuff that she does really well.  It's the first time I'm aware of that she's able to play an action character with multiple levels of personality - in this case, I felt she captured a certain kind of schizophrenia that is written into her character, and I'm amazed at her multiple personas.  A tour de force, or a force majeure, or a force of nature.  Take your pic. Oh, and Liev Schreiber rocks as well.  Another amazing actor who gives nuance a new name.

This is not a movie review, nor is it trying to sell the film in any way.  I think anyone who goes to see it will get a thrill ride out of it, and it always keeps you guessing.  The acting is top drawer, the action isn't over the top, and the story leaves you trying to add up the clues - they're all there, but may require subsequent viewings to nail them all.  Oh, and of course, to catch me on screen.