Puppet Master
KEYT senior reporter John Palminteri is pulling a few strings!
Puppet Palooza Central threw a Puppets in Paseo event honoring the ubiquitous broadcaster and the ABC affiliate’s industrious team for their coverage of the Thomas Fire and the destructive and deadly aftermath.
A Palminteri puppet was unveiled, complete with John’s signature moustache, that performed live with the energized TV personality.
Life Saver
Montecito resident Berkeley Augie Johnson shared his story of survival and bravery on fellow Montecitan Ellen DeGeneres‘s TV talk show.
Augie helped first responders and firefighters to rescue 2-year-old Ian Benitez from the devastating mudslides after escaping himself.
He recounted how he survived the catastrophe and shared his belief that his deceased son, Nick, guided and compelled him to achieve the rescue.
Despite losing his own home, Augie is determined to help Ian and his father get back on their feet and has currently raised in excess of $10,000 for the family.
Inspired by Augie’s bravery and kindness, the former Oscars host donated $50,000 to Montecito relief efforts in his name, courtesy of Walmart.
Rain Strain
Montecito author T.C. Boyle has written a poignant article in The New Yorker about the flash floods and mudslides that beset our rarefied enclave.
The writer, who I have known for more than a decade, moved here 25 years ago “attracted by its beauty and semi-rural ambience.”
T.C, who was stuck in a motel room for 10 days during the Thomas Fire, writes: “I was suffering from disaster fatigue after more than a month of uncertainty and dislocation.
“The rain awoke my wife and me at 3:30 the next morning, an intense hammering rain that seemed to explode all around us. Still, it was only rain.
“….As I was later to discover, the concentrated rain – as much as 0.50 of an inch in a single five-minute period, an intensity seen on average just once every 200 years – propelled a debris flow down the slopes of the denuded mountains…
“We were among the lucky ones. Our house, one of the oldest in the community, sits atop a hill at the bottom of which, to the east, lies the stream bed of Montecito Creek.
“…On that night, catastrophically, it jumped its banks and swept to the sea, taking everything in its path… For me, though, its personal, and I want my village back.”
Slowly, but surely.
Two of a Kind
On a personal note, I am saddened to see two of the world’s greatest performers are being forced to retire because of ill health.
Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, 78, who I last saw performing at the London Palladium in 1976, is ending his 50th anniversary tour after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
And flamboyant pianist Sir Elton John, 70. whose concerts I have enjoyed in London and New York, is also retiring from touring, a year after he became violently ill from a bacterial infection.
I will always remember his free concert in 1980 on the Great Lawn in Manhattan’s Cental Park in front of 400,000 fans when he dressed as Donald Duck for the occasion.
Two wonderful showmen now off the radar.
Fond Farewell
On a personal note, I mark the passing of Santa Barbara lawyer Allan Ghitterman at the age of 94.
I would often see Allan, who specialized in workers compensation law, at the Granada for symphony concerts and always remarked on how robust and hearty he looked for a nonagenarian.
Canadian-born, he was a staunch supporter of Jewish causes and served on several charity boards, including the Foodbank and the Anti-Defamation League.
An enormous and charming character.
Sightings: Former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice at the El Encanto…Singer-songwriter Michael McDonald giving an impromptu performance at the Hyatt to buoy community spirits…Warbler Katy Perry getting a manicure at Lily’s Nails on State Street
Pip! Pip!
