Jason Scott Lee - Hollywood Drop Out
October 31, 2008
A half-dozen years ago, Jason Scott Lee was in Florida playing the studio publicity game — sitting for interviews and photographs to promote a new film.
After a day of interviews, the Pearl City High School graduate had dinner with friends. Conversations floated about careers, Hawaii, lifestyle. An actress at the table talked a lot about money, fame and her latest acquisition, a $90,000 Mercedes Benz.
In contrast, Lee said he was working to simplify his life.
"I want to work when I want to, on films that I want to, and not have to pay for a lifestyle that doesn’t do anything except obligate me to the machine," he said.
The dinner party went quiet. Then Lee continued, mentioning work he’d be turning down: "Too disruptive to what I want to do and where I want to be."
"You’re nuts!" the actress said. "Your brain must be getting moldy up there on the volcano."
"Probably," Lee said, laughing.
In the early ’90s, Lee was the wonder boy of Asian-American actors, wowing audiences with his emotional intensity and physical power in many quality roles. He was an Inuit Eskimo ("Map of the Human Heart"), a Polynesian prince ("Rapa Nui"), an Indian wild boy ("Jungle Book") and an icon ("Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story"). He had five bona fide romantic leads, a major achievement for an Asian actor in Hollywood.
Lee loves acting. But even more, he has another dream: He wants to leave his mark other than on the stage or screen.
Jason Scott Lee catches up on phone calls at his Volcano Village home on the Big Island. The only electricity in the rustic home comes from a 12-volt battery. A solar panel powers a water pump, and a propane tank heats the water. Cooking is done on a wood-burning stove; bathing, in an old horse trough.
Six years ago, Lee bought 25 acres in Volcano, much of it deforested and littered with old paint cans, car parts and other debris. A friend helped him build a modest, two-room house with no electricity, hot water or flush toilet. The elevated house stands at the edge of the rain forest.
Life here is borderline ascetic, especially for a movie star, but Lee lives it most of the year.
Part of his dream was having his family — mom Sylvia, three brothers and a sister — move from Oahu to the Volcano property.
"I thought we could all live a very simple existence — a clean, healthy life — and my family could all have a house on the property, share in duties," Lee says. "But I realize not everyone wants country life, and my family wants to live their own lifestyles."
But for himself, Lee found a new, more fulfilling path. Turning his back on Hollywood — he dropped his manager and agent — he focused on yet another dream: to build a small performing arts venue for professional-quality, socially conscious plays, workshops and classes. He also hoped to have cast members and instructors live there with him.
Pu Mu, the name Lee has given his compound, means "simplicity" and "nothingness." Through it, Lee lives his strongly held environmental beliefs: responsible farming, eat what you grow, an emotional and spiritual connection to agriculture and culture, ecological stewardship.
After weeks of auditions, Lee gathered three like-minded actors in the compound for his first production. Since early June they have helped farm about four acres of the land. Their play, "Burn This," debuted last weekend.
Lee says his real focus is to repair the deforested areas of his property. "I want to bring the canopy back."
So he searches the forest for koa seeds, replanting the fast-growing trees at Pu Mu. "Koa reforestation is not hard; one tree will make a dozen keikis," he says. "And taro grows wild under the canopy. You don’t have to open the forest up and till it and mulch it to make it work."
Volcano, Big Island » A half-dozen years ago, Jason Scott Lee was in Florida playing the studio publicity game — sitting for interviews and photographs to promote a new film.
After a day of interviews, the Pearl City High School graduate had dinner with friends. Conversations floated about careers, Hawaii, lifestyle. An actress at the table talked a lot about money, fame and her latest acquisition, a $90,000 Mercedes Benz.
In contrast, Lee said he was working to simplify his life.
"I want to work when I want to, on films that I want to, and not have to pay for a lifestyle that doesn’t do anything except obligate me to the machine," he said.
The dinner party went quiet. Then Lee continued, mentioning work he’d be turning down: "Too disruptive to what I want to do and where I want to be."
"You’re nuts!" the actress said. "Your brain must be getting moldy up there on the volcano."
"Probably," Lee said, laughing.
In the early ’90s, Lee was the wonder boy of Asian-American actors, wowing audiences with his emotional intensity and physical power in many quality roles. He was an Inuit Eskimo ("Map of the Human Heart"), a Polynesian prince ("Rapa Nui"), an Indian wild boy ("Jungle Book") and an icon ("Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story"). He had five bona fide romantic leads, a major achievement for an Asian actor in Hollywood.
Lee loves acting. But even more, he has another dream: He wants to leave his mark other than on the stage or screen.
Jason Scott Lee catches up on phone calls at his Volcano Village home on the Big Island. The only electricity in the rustic home comes from a 12-volt battery. A solar panel powers a water pump, and a propane tank heats the water. Cooking is done on a wood-burning stove; bathing, in an old horse trough.
Six years ago, Lee bought 25 acres in Volcano, much of it deforested and littered with old paint cans, car parts and other debris. A friend helped him build a modest, two-room house with no electricity, hot water or flush toilet. The elevated house stands at the edge of the rain forest.
Life here is borderline ascetic, especially for a movie star, but Lee lives it most of the year.
Part of his dream was having his family — mom Sylvia, three brothers and a sister — move from Oahu to the Volcano property.
"I thought we could all live a very simple existence — a clean, healthy life — and my family could all have a house on the property, share in duties," Lee says. "But I realize not everyone wants country life, and my family wants to live their own lifestyles."
But for himself, Lee found a new, more fulfilling path. Turning his back on Hollywood — he dropped his manager and agent — he focused on yet another dream: to build a small performing arts venue for professional-quality, socially conscious plays, workshops and classes. He also hoped to have cast members and instructors live there with him.
Pu Mu, the name Lee has given his compound, means "simplicity" and "nothingness." Through it, Lee lives his strongly held environmental beliefs: responsible farming, eat what you grow, an emotional and spiritual connection to agriculture and culture, ecological stewardship.
After weeks of auditions, Lee gathered three like-minded actors in the compound for his first production. Since early June they have helped farm about four acres of the land. Their play, "Burn This," debuted last weekend.
Lee says his real focus is to repair the deforested areas of his property. "I want to bring the canopy back."
So he searches the forest for koa seeds, replanting the fast-growing trees at Pu Mu. "Koa reforestation is not hard; one tree will make a dozen keikis," he says. "And taro grows wild under the canopy. You don’t have to open the forest up and till it and mulch it to make it work."
Lee tends to his taro. He farms using natural methods developed by Japanese agrarian Masanobu Fukuoka.
Lee learned this approach in Japan from Masanobu Fukuoka, one of the most radical and influential agrarian thinkers of the last century. Fukuoka’s "One Straw Revolution" developed the concept of "natural farming."
Fukuoka uses no tilling or chemicals, incorporating and controlling useful weeds rather than eradicating them. On Lee’s land, weeds grow alongside taro, "challenging" the Hawaiian staple to grow strong and survive.
A weathered photo of the elderly, white-haired sensei sits on a shelf in Lee’s house. Lee holds it like a priceless, fragile relic.
"A friend of mine gave me his book, and I was very inspired by it," he says.
Lee returns the photo to its place, near a mattress that sits on a Tibetan rug. A nearby makeshift desk is stacked with papers and a phone. The home has no computer or television because the only electricity in Lee’s house is provided by a 12-volt battery.
"People say your eyes go bad if you read by candlelight," he says. "Not true. I have 20-20 vision."
A tiny room holds the horse water trough that Lee uses for a bathtub. A single solar panel operates a water pump, and a 5-gallon propane tank heats water for bathing.
"Local style," Lee says. "Wet down, scrub down, rinse." Then he asks, "Want to see a real lua?"
An elevated walkway leads 20 feet into the forest, where an outhouse sits above the ground.
The monklike accommodations beg the question, Is Lee lonely here?
"Sometimes but not lately, with all the projects that I have," he says. "When you’re working and feeling achy and have to get up because no one is going to do something for you, that’s tough. But it’s yin and yang, and builds strength of character."
Lee keeps Fukuoka’s photograph on a shelf near his bed.
At 38, Lee appears to have lost none of his physical prowess. He’s about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds, with broad, sloping shoulders. His Chinese-Hawaiian ancestry gives him handsome high cheekbones and expressive brown eyes like a glaze on pottery that gleam when he smiles and glower when he doesn’t.
His forearms and hands are so toned they look like fine tools. He has a sculpted face, widely set eyes and a flawless nose. From each of its wings, a curved line descends to enclose his lips, almost like parentheses.
Lee’s manner is friendly, direct but measuring. He is very vigilant.
For his film work, Lee chooses projects that have some significance while providing the income he needs to maintain Pu Mu. Perhaps the biggest difference between the 25-year-old actor of "Map of the Human Heart" and the man today is his insistence on remaining uncorrupted by material ambitions, his almost childlike responsiveness to joy.
Lee credits his mother and late father Robert as "very, very influential."
"My mother’s compassion and my father’s tenacity were two things that combined in me," he says. "The compassionate side is where all the environmental interest is, wanting to contribute to the community, and not taking myself too seriously."
Bob Lee was tenacious about his son spending wisely, but early in his burgeoning career, Lee admits he "dabbled on wine, woman and song."
Eventually, something in Lee screamed to slow down. "I’ve always had this ability to get introspective, be more thoughtful," he says.
"I’ve saved a lot of money, but this lifestyle does keep you in a low overhead."
In 2003 and 2004, Lee spent several months in Kazakhstan filming the government-funded historic epic "Nomad," in which he plays the adviser to a future king.
Lee also chooses film projects "for kokua," such as Lane Nishikawa’s new motion picture, "Only the Brave," about the 442nd World War II combat regiment.
"I’m not one to perpetuate a war story, but the story of those people in the 442 caught in that situation is pretty incredible," Lee says.
Lee insists he didn’t reject Hollywood, but just found his true self.
"For some people in Hollywood, their soul dies. You’re dependent on so many things: recognition so you can get the next job … the next movie to pay off your big house and your big car. It’s a choice."
Lee laughs at his situation, "one foot in Hollywood and the other in a jungle."
"This right here," he says, touching a koa sprout, "is the world that allows me to stand the other one — because Hollywood really doesn’t mean nothing," he says. "I do some film work, then come back home to grow the kala, fish, read, weed and now prepare for rehearsal in my theater.
"My life is pretty complete at Pu Mu."
Waikiki hotels focus on green initiatives
October 31, 2008
More hotels in Waikiki are seeing reasons to go green as a way to cut back on energy costs, plus get some good publicity.
Savvy travelers are also beginning to inquire about it, including events planners who ask about whether a hotel has the U.S. Energy Star rating.
At the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, energy-efficient LED lights are used in public areas, candelabras, swimming pool, and elevators, reducing the hotel’s overall electricity costs.
At a green hotel forum hosted by the state yesterday morning at the Hyatt, hotel employees got a rundown on recycling providers, how to apply for the U.S. Energy Star label and solar technology.
Mikulina to be lauded for efforts on environment
October 31, 2008
The League of Women Voters of Honolulu is honoring Jeff Mikulina for his role in conserving and protecting Hawaii’s environment.
Mikulina, executive director of the Blue Planet Foundation, will receive the Donald and Astrid Monson Community Action award for his contributions.
Mikulina, former executive director of the Sierra Club Hawaii, will be the first recipient of the award.
"Jeff’s outstanding contributions during the past decade to responsibly manage and conserve Hawaii’s environment have made our state a better place to live for years to come," said Piilani Kaopuiki, president of the League of Women Voters of Honolulu, in a news release.
Mikulina, who was director of the Sierra Club for 10 years, was instrumental in the passing of legislation that set caps on Hawaii’s greenhouse gas emissions, made solar water heaters a standard feature on new homes and increased funding of natural resource conservation and management through tourism taxes.
A reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 13 to honor the late Donald and Astrid Monson and Mikulina. The event will be held at the Honolulu Elks Club in Waikiki. Reservations are $50 per person. Pupus and live music will be available at the event.
Governor’s goal is to have 70 percent from renewables by 2030
October 30, 2008
Hawaii’s largest utility signed onto plans for a future filled with renewable energy, electric cars and stable power supplies as the islands strive to become energy independent.
Hawaiian Electric Co. and Gov. Linda Lingle inked an agreement earlier this month to move the state away from dependence on fossil fuels for electricity and ground transportation.
But some of the biggest ideas in the deal — including expensive undersea power cables to move wind-generated energy between the islands — lack funding or even cost estimates for how they’ll become reality.
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a major step for Hawaiian Electric, said Connie Lau, chairwoman of the board of directors for the utility, which powers Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.
"This is a historic moment for all of us, and it really does take us far beyond what our companies have done historically," Lau said. "(It) will protect our customers in the long run from these severe fluctuations in oil prices."
Goal: 70 percent renewable by 2030
The goal is to create 70 percent of Hawaii’s energy use from clean energy sources by 2030. Currently, the state gets about 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources.
The accord seeks to make renewable energy easier to use by integrating it into the power grid.
Under the agreement, Hawaiian Electric commits to not build any new coal plants, integrate up to 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy into the power grid and convert existing fossil fuel generators to biofuels using locally grown crops.
"We don’t have years and years anymore to make these changes," Lingle said. "These are not hopes or dreams or wishes, these are our specific plans that we hope to achieve."
The undersea cables, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, would link potential wind farms on Lanai or Molokai to population centers on Maui and Oahu.
It’s unclear exactly where the money will come from. Private companies could step in, the state may pursue revenue bonds, or Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, could seek federal funds.
‘Most vulnerable’ state
Inouye said it’s essential that Hawaii emphasize its energy independence efforts because of the state’s isolation and the steady long-term rise of oil prices.
"It’s not going to be easy, but we must do it, because of all the 50 states in the union, our state is the most vulnerable," Inouye said. "We have no fossil fuels, so we have to manufacture our own energy."
Additional parts of the plan call for:
- Creating incentives to encourage adoption of electric vehicles.
- A requirement that 40 percent of electric power come from renewable sources by 2030. An additional 30 percent of clean energy savings would come from consuming less and using power more efficiently.
- Changing the way Hawaiian Electric is compensated by moving away from a business model that relies on increased electric sales.
- Making it easier for customers to get credits for electricity contributed to the power grid from home solar or wind systems.
The agreement stems from the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, a partnership between the state and the federal Department of Energy launched in January with the goal of making Hawaii a model for how the United States can become energy independent.
The state is working separately with Kauai Island Utility Cooperative on similar proposals.
Duke cuts proposed $100M solar program
October 30, 2008
Duke Energy Carolinas has cut its proposed $100 million rooftop solar program in half in response to critics who contend it is too costly and blocks independent development.
The company is now asking state regulators to OK a $50 million investment that would create a solar network covering more than 420 sites.
The N.C. Utilities Commission is considering Duke’s revised proposal in hearings that began Thursday.
Duke proposed the solar panel program in June. It wanted to spend $40 million in 2009 and $60 million in 2010 to install solar panels on the property of some 850 customers.
The Public Staff, charged with protecting the interests of consumers, suggested cutting the program in half.
Duke expects the smaller network to produce enough electricity to power 13,000 homes.
Duke will install, own and maintain all the equipment related to the solar operations.
It will also get all the power produced by it. Duke will pay customers rent for the use of their property.
The Public Staff contends the smaller program will boost independent efforts while still meeting Duke’s goals.
Those include:
•Encouraging new solar technology.
•Helping the utility meet pending state requirements for energy from alternative sources.
•Helping Duke understand how to deal with a large number of small generators as if they were a single large power plant.
Duke says even though it has not advertised the program, more than 460 customers have called since June to find out if they can have solar units installed.
Duke is not willing to consider, for now, proposals from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and two solar advocacy groups. Those proposals deal with letting customers use some solar power produced on site and allowing them to sell credits for producing non-polluting energy.
Rosalie Day, director of the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association, says Duke is dragging its feet on both issues. She contends Duke’s program will serve as a barrier to independent investment in solar power.
The environmental groups say Duke should be required to meet a portion of its state renewable quotas through independent solar generators.
Owen Smith, head of renewable energy programs for utilities at Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK), says that is unrealistic. In his testimony filed Monday, he says Duke cannot rely on independent development to come quickly enough to meet the state’s requirements.
A state law adopted last year phases in quotas for energy from renewable sources. For 2010, utilities must produce .02% of the energy they sell from solar, wind, biomass or other alternative energy sources. That rises to 12.5% by 2021.
Smith says independent programs cited in testimony from the solar groups are occurring largely in California and Ohio, where electricity rates are two to three times higher than in North Carolina.
He says if customers want to hold on to their renewable energy credits and some of the power they produce, they can buy their own solar panels.
Day contends Duke prevents that from happening by not installing meters that would easily allow customers to keep some energy and sell some to the company.
More advanced programs in New Mexico have attracted a large number of individuals and small businesses to install solar panels, she says. Electricity costs about 9 cents a kilowatt-hour there, she says, very much in line with the N.C. average of 8 cents a kilowatt hour.
UPS introduces hydraulic hybrid vehicle
October 30, 2008
United Parcel Service will be the first delivery company to add hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHVs) to its fleet, a move that it says will bring “dramatic fuel savings and environmental benefits.”
The technology was developed in an Environmental Protection Agency lab. HHVs store energy by compressing hydraulic fluid under pressure in a large chamber. UPS trial tested the technology two years ago.
On Monday, UPS and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled in Atlanta the prototype vehicle, which posted a 45-to-50 percent improvement in fuel economy compared with conventional diesel delivery trucks.
UPS thinks similar fuel economy improvements and a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide are achievable in daily, real-world use of the new technology.
UPS has ordered seven HHVs, which will have a high-efficiency diesel engine combined with a hydraulic propulsion system, replacing the conventional drive train and transmission. The vehicle uses hydraulic pumps and hydraulic storage tanks to capture and store energy, similar to what is done with electric motors and batteries in a hybrid electric vehicle. In this case, the diesel engine is used to periodically recharge pressure in the hydraulic propulsion system. Fuel economy is increased in three ways: vehicle braking energy is recovered instead of being wasted; the engine operates more efficiently, and the engine can be shut off when stopped or decelerating, UPS said.
“There is no question that hydraulic hybrids, although little known to the public, are ready for prime time use on the streets of America,” said David Abney, UPS chief operating officer, in a news release. “We are not declaring hydraulic hybrids a panacea for our energy woes, but this technology certainly is as promising as anything we’ve seen to date.”
UPS will use the first two of the new HHV’s in Minneapolis during the first quarter of 2009. Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN), which helped develop and refine the vehicle’s hydraulic hybrid power system, will monitor the vehicle’s fuel economy performance and emissions in the Minneapolis area. The other five HHV’s will be deployed later in 2009 and early 2010.
UPS’ green fleet operates in the United States, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom and has traveled about 144 million miles since 2000. The fleet includes electric, hybrid electric, CNG, liquefied natural gas and propane-powered vehicles.
UPS operates its Worldport international air cargo hub at Louisville International Airport.
Jennifer Love Hewitt Goes Sexy in Hawaii
October 30, 2008
Since she is "The Ghost Whisperer’ one would think that Jennifer Love Hewitt might go spooky or scary for her Halloween costume. And the actress has revealed that she will play dress up on Halloween, but she is going with one of the sexiest actresses in Hollywood. Will she grab a John Mayer look-alike and go as Jennifer Aniston or will she play Jen’s BFF Courtney Cox?
The adorable actress that caused such a stir in her black bikini in Hawaii this year will go back to black and plans to dress up as Brad Pitt’s baby mama of six Angelina Jolie. It’s good to see someone giving some love to Jolie as earlier Lindsay Lohan earlier said she was going to dress up as Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president that Tina Fey has so much fun with on Saturday Night Live.
***
According to the report from Us Magazine, Jennifer Love Hewitt says she will use the sultry look of Jolie (were guessing sporting lots and lots of cleavage) and she says to make the look complete she will have her fiancé her Ross McCall dress up as Brad Pitt and the pair will then have ‘lots of babies’ to complete the look of Brangelina.
Good idea for Hewitt but Ross is concerned he is not quite ready to play Brad as a Halloween character. "I don’t know how the heck I’m going to pull it off," admitted McCall, 32. Jennifer told him he would be cool because Brad is cool.
Eddie Van Halen Pops the Question in Hawaii
October 30, 2008
Forget teacher. Eddie Van Halen’s hot for Janie.
The guitar god has gotten engaged to longtime girlfriend Janie Liszewski.
The 53-year-old Van Halen mastermind dropped to one knee and popped the question to the 38-year-old publicist in a private room at a Tiffany & Co. store while vacationing in Hawaii, according to People. They will reportedly tie the knot next June.
It will be Van Halen’s second attempt at nuptial bliss. He and Valerie Bertinelli were married for 26 years before separating in 2001 and finalizing their divorce last year. They have a son, 17-year-old Wolfgang, who has been playing bass in the family band.
This will be the first matrimonial go for Liszewski, an actress and stuntwoman who became Van Halen’s publicist in 2007, just in time to promote the hugely successful Van Halen reunion tour with David Lee Roth.
Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens’ Romantic Hawaiian Beach Stroll
October 30, 2008
Attending his manager Jason Barrett’s wedding in Hawaii over the weekend,Zac Efron took his actress girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens for a romantic stroll on the beach on Sunday afternoon, October 26. The "High School Musical" sweethearts were photographed holding hands, hugging and snuggling.
Bare-chested Zac was spotted sporting a Calvin Klein underwear under his dark-colored shorts. Vanessa, meanwhile, wore a white dress and simply let her long, black, curly hair loose. She beautified her look with bracelets in both hands. A number of pictures, taken while Zac and Vanessa were enjoying their romantic beach stroll, are put all together in the video after the jump.
On Jason’s wedding, held in the Aloha State, Zac and Vanessa showed off their on-screen dating skills in front of the other invited guests. "They were in such great spirits because of the wedding and because they heard early reports that HSM3 was turning out to have an amazing opening weekend," a source testified of the celebrity lovers and their movie "High School Musical 3: Senior Year."
Praising their dancing skills, the source continued saying, "They are the best dancers. They were totally getting down on the dance floor and having the best time."
Owen Wilson moves to Hawaii
October 29, 2008
Owen Wilson is saying “aloha” to island living. When the 39-year-old actor spent a week visiting good pal Woody Harrelson in Maui starting on August 7, he fell in love with the tropical paradise — and the environmentally friendly lifestyle. Woody lives in a completely solar-powered, sustainable community featuring organic farming. “It’s 100 percent green living,” says an insider. “Owen likes it so much that he made an offer on a home there.” Owen’s 2004 film, The Big Bounce, was set in Hawaii.
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