Taylor’s ‘Miracle’ to hit the small screen

BARBARA DIAMOND

A movie based on Ted Taylor’s 1973 novel, “The Maldonado Miracle,”

will premiere Oct 12 as a Showtime Original Picture.

Taylor and his wife, Flora, will be watching the telecast in their

Woods Cove home. The book, which inspired the movie, has been

reissued in paperback and hardcover to coincide with the telecast.

The real miracle is Taylor’s ability to reach the hearts and minds

of young people. He has written more than 30 books to date for

middle-grade and young adults -- not to mention his books for adults.

Taylor was a movie publicist and documentary filmmaker when he

gave up the glitz to stay home in Laguna and make a career out of the

stories he had been inventing for his children. “The Cay,” a classic

exploration of racism told without preaching, in terms that children

can understand and adults appreciate, won eight major literary

awards, including the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. “The Weirdo” won the

Edgar Allan Poe Award.

Like a lot of Taylor’s finest books, “The Maldonaldo Miracle” was

written for a youthful audience, but has engaged the fancy of an

impressive audience of adults. The movie, which won major critical

acclaim at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, marks Oscar-nominated

actress Salma Hayek’s debut as a director. Hayek also served as

executive producer with her company, Ventanorosa.

Golden Globe winner and Oscar and Emmy nominee Peter Fonda, Oscar

nominee and Emmy winner Mare Winningham and Emmy and Alma Award

nominee Ruben Blades star.

Eddy Martin plays Jose Maldonado, the 12-year-old hero of the

book, who inadvertently plunges a town into a media circus and, he

fears, endangers his immortal soul.

Jose is the son of a poor Mexican farmer who left home to find

work in the United States. With his mother dead, Jose puts his dreams

of becoming a fine artist on hold and sets out to find his father.

The border crossing is harrowing, but his stay in a migrant workers

camp is worse. Jose flees for his life, suffering an accident in his

flight. He seeks sanctuary in a church, where blood from his wounded

shoulder drips on a statue of Christ.

A devout woman sees the blood on the statue, not the boy, and

screams, “Milagro” -- “Miracle” and the circus begins.

As if it’s not bad enough to be 12, illegally in a strange country

without family or friends, and scared to death of some nasty guys,

now Jose is convinced he has roused the wrath of God.

“The Maldonado Miracle” was published by Harcourt Children’s

Books; It costs $5.95 in paperback, $17 in hardcover.

For more information, visit https://www.theodoretaylor.com or

https://www.HarcourtBooks.com.

PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL

TO SPEAK HERE

Tom and Gayle Joliet of Laguna Beach are inviting everyone to hear

what Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich envisions for

America.

Kucinich, pronounced Koo-sin-itch, is a Congressman from Ohio. He

will speak at a reception set for noon Sunday at the Neighborhood

Congregational Church, 340 St. Ann’s Drive.

“I had never even heard of him when some friends said he was

speaking at a meeting of concerned citizens in Leisure World and that

we should go listen to him,” said Tom Joliet, co-chair of the Laguna

Beach Kucinich Club. “He made such common sense it just lifted a

weight off of me that I had felt about America even before 9/11. He

wants to work with other nations and pull people together through the

United Nations to solve our problems.”

Joliet said the former mayor of Cleveland will address a wide

range of issues on Sunday.

“His 10-point program includes starting a new WPA-type program to

put people back to work, a universal health-care plan that the

General Accounting Office says will work, and trimming the military

budget to put more money into education,” said Jim Brillon, media

chair for OC 4 Kucinich.

OC 4 Kucinich, a volunteer group, is sponsoring the reception.

Refreshments will be served at noon. Admission is free, but cash or

credit card donations will be accepted.

For more information, send e-mail to longbrdr@hotmail.com, visit

https://www.kucinich.us or https://www.oc4dennis.org or call (949)

499-1751.

NEW BLOOD NEEDED

Dorothy Twomey considers it an honor to be president of the Laguna

Beach Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Auxiliary -- but 14 years is

enough already.

“We need new blood,” Twomey said. “We need young people in there.

We are only asking for one day a month for possibly one or two

hours.”

Mothers, wives, daughters and granddaughters of veterans are

eligible. Veterans are urged to encourage their female relatives to

join.

“If your wife is inactive and can’t attend meetings, she can be

kept updated with the newsletter,” Twomey said.

Twomey, who was re-elected in September, plans to visit other

auxiliaries to get some ideas on how to increase membership.

“The fact is, our active members are getting older, and we need

some new members,” Gigi Blount said.

Blount serves as the conductress on the board. Her duties include

making introductions and escorting speakers at the meetings. Louise

Benton is the auxiliary guard. She checks the membership cards that

are required to attend the meetings.

Also elected to serve with Twomey: Jean Law, vice president;

Pauline Kisling, secretary/treasurer; Nancy Nicely, junior vice

president; and Shirley Wickham, chaplain.

The Laguna Beach auxiliary meets in the evening.

“It’s a good time to exchange ideas for fund-raisers,” Twomey

said. “We got to come up with something new, or we’ll go down the

tubes.”

For more information, call (949) 240-8494.