Letter from LA

Pooch steals the show from Robert Downey Jr. & Zach Galifianakis at Due Datepremiere

Zach Galfianakis with Sunny
Robert Downey Jr. and Sunny
Robert Downey Jr., left, at breakfast with Zach Galifianakis and Sunny in "DueDate"
At the premiere: Screenwriter Adam Sztykiel, from left, sisters Natalie Taylor,Sarah Wilson and Haley Sztykiel and wife Ellie Knaus.

What happens when the best actor of our time (Robert Downey Jr.) teams up with the hottest comedian (Zach Galifianakis) and the biggest comedy director in the world (Todd Phillips)? The answer is Due Date, the road trip comedy opening in theaters Friday.

Let me say: I’m a lousy road trip buddy. Gas station coffee makes me excessively chatty. I change radio stations every three minutes. I can’t read maps without getting carsick, and I’m a vocal backseat driver. I’m a bundle of nerves when I’m behind the wheel, especially at night, when my astigmatism (football shaped eyeballs) turns tail lights into a laser light show. These are the reasons I usually opt to fly.

But Due Date is a road trip worth taking. After being put on a no-fly list, expectant father Peter Highman (Downey Jr.) is forced to drive cross-country with hapless aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) in order to make it home in time for his child’s birth. The film is fast paced, unpredictable, and has a surprising amount of emotional depth. And the cinematography captures the jaw dropping beauty of the American landscape.

OK, this is where I have to fess up: I am completely biased — my husband Adam Sztykiel co-wrote the film. So don’t take my word for it; take Robert Downey Jr.’s. He’s calling it: the second greatest story ever told. (OK, maybe Downey Jr. is a little biased too).

Last Thursday night, the Due Date filmmakers and its stars — Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Michelle Monaghan and Downey Jr. — gathered in Hollywood for the premiere at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. (You know, it’s the 1920’s cultural landmark with movie stars’ cemented handprints out front). Hollywood Boulevard was blocked off. Fans cheered from across the street. The stars posed in front of film-inspired tableaus, including an Atlanta International Airport check-in counter, a beat up truck, and a Mexico border crossing sign.

Sunny, Galifianakis’ French Bulldog sidekick in the film, trotted past the clicking cameras. Confident with her performance in the film, she seemed unfazed by all the hoopla. She flopped down for a rest on the ‘black’ carpet (the red carpet was black with white dashes to resemble a road).

The swanky premiere party kicked off at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel after the screening. As if on a culinary road trip, guests nibbled fried chicken and waffles, sliders, fish tacos, and mini doughnuts fried to order. I never thought I’d get the chance to eat a Twinkie at a fancy Hollywood party — unless I snuck it in my purse.

I was happy to check that off my Tinseltown bucket list.

Follow Ellie Knaus in her blog and her twitter @EllieInLa

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In Memoriam

Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife, Sharon, and daughter, Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

As with many local legends, it's hard to tease out what specifically made Ely's time in Austin so great; Austin treasures its live music staples, so being around and staying authentic from the early days is often the most important thing an artist can do.

Ely got his local start at One Knight Tavern, which later became Stubb's BBQ — the artist and the famous venue share a hometown of Lubbock. He alternated nights with emerging guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughn. He built his own recording studio in Dripping Springs, and kept close relationships with other Texas musicians. Later in his career, Ely brought fans into the live music experience, publishing excerpts from his journal and musings on the road in Bonfire of Roadmaps (2010), and was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2022. Austin blues icon Marcia Ball was among Ely's friends who played the induction show.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings. [...]"

Read the full story at KVUE.com. CultureMap has added two paragraphs of context about the Austin portion of Ely's career.

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