Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman, David Arkenstone, David Newman, Enya, Graeme Revell, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Joby Talbot, John Barry, John Williams, Michael Giacchino, Moby, Thomas Newman, Trevor Jones, Yo-Yo Ma, Alanis Morissette, Barenaked Ladies, Bryan Adams, Dave Matthews, Eric Clapton, Everclear, Hootie & The Blowfish, Jimmy Buffett, No Doubt, Reel Big Fish, Carlos Santana, Shawn Mullins, Smashing Pumpkins, Van Morrison, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, Rod Stewart, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, Gilberto Santarosa, Oscar De Leon, Ruben Blades, Tito Nieves, and Marc Anthony, among others. Woot!
Movies
Big budget Hollywood flicks mostly. Some examples would be American Beauty, Big Fish, Citizen Kane, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Million Dollar Baby, Casablanca, Love Actually, My Life, Sideways, The Emperor's Club, Girl Interrupted, Little Caesar, The Big Sleep, To Have And Have Not, The Maltese Falcon, Down To Earth (1947), Gladiator, Serendipity, The Sixth Sense, Saving Private Ryan, The Others, Out Of Time, The Matrix, Lost In Translation, Key Largo, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, The Hunt For Red October, The Abyss, Good Will Hunting, Donnie Brasco, Analyze This, Analyze That, The Sound Of Music, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Crimson Tide, The Count Of Montecristo, Alfie, The Ice Harvest, Notting Hill and No Country For Old Men to name a few. Yikes!
Television
Sadly enough, no time for TV. Well, maybe for Sopranos and the CSI's. Netflix is so much easier (grin).
Books
American Beauty: The Shooting Script (Book), Big Fish: The Shooting Script (Book), American Gangster Cinema: From 'Little Caesar' to 'Pulp Fiction', and The Prophet.
Heroes
I don't know about heroes, but here are a few figures who I continuously draw inspiration from: Humphrey Bogart, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, and Albert Einstein.
Gerardo Betancourt (also known as Gee and Geebee) was raised "a child of television and cinema." He was born on September 9, 1974 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, to a middle class home. Throughout his childhood, and into his early teens, he spent most of his time in front of a television screen. Drama, mystery, and science-fiction became his favorite genres. He also became particularly interested in black-and-white films such as "Casablanca", "Citizen Kane", "To Have And Have Not", "The Roaring Twenties", and "Key Largo", which today remain among his favorites. Though at that time he was already a fan of names such as Bogart, Bacall, Cagney, and Edward Robinson, his passion for film and story telling would only become apparent later in college.
In early 1990, he moved to Orlando, Florida to further his education. He graduated from Winter Park H.S. in 1992, and was accepted to the University of Central Florida that same summer. While in college, he developed an affinity, not just for film, but for music, writing and design. These elements remained an intricate part of his life, becoming key in his ability to show others his vision. Five years after his acceptance to UCF, he graduated with a B.A. in Film (Motion Picture Technology and Computer Animation).
In 2004, he wrote a children's book called "The Castaway Clocks Of The Castle At Northwind," and composed a score for it ("Castaway Clocks") which he self-published on-line and in-stores the following year. In July of 2006, his first film, "That One Moment" (a semi-autobiographical monologue of a man recalling and explaining an answer given to a friend in regard to a question about life), was accepted to the Los Angeles International Shorts Festival (L.A. Shorts Fest), held at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, where it premiered. This film became a large stepping stone for him, as not only did it make him a public figure in the world of filmmaking, it also gave him a chance to show the world what really drives him in life.
In February of 2008, he completed his second film, "The Hollywood Informant" (a black-and-white film noir production that delves into murder, deceit, and corruption in prohibition-era Los Angeles), which was produced in collaboration with Habit Forming Films and A.P. Stack. He currently resides near Beverly Hills, but is known to truly live in the heart of Hollywood.
"The Hollywood Informant" - Hollywood, 1928 - During the murder investigation of an undercover cop, two vice officers scramble to find the true identity of an elusive individual who's known only as "the informant," a killer, and possibly a cop, who tips off the mob to the whereabouts of the police during booze runs. The plot thickens when the vice officers stumble across a mysterious, seductive woman who claims to be a police mole, but who they believe could be the informant. "She claims innocence. They claim guilt."
"The Hollywood Informant" (Trailer)
"That One Moment" (Trailer)
Who I'd like to meet:
I'd like to meet the world. Everyone. I'd be really nice if I could hangout for a day with any of the following people: Anna Faris, Barack Obama, Eva Mendes, Hilary Swank, Johnny Depp, Lizzy Caplan, Luis Guzman, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Paul Giamatti, Robert DeNiro, Sofia Coppola, Steve Jobs, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Tommy Lee Jones among a few others. If I could go back in time, I'd love to meet Humphrey Bogart, Alert Einstein, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Jimmy Stewart, Walt Disney, and of course, Rita Hayworth.
On Dating:
Single and looking [carefully]. I'd love to date Eva Mendes (if life gives me the chance). I'm drawn towards strong, confident, highly independent and intelligent females with a good education, a good job, and a clear set of goals in life. According to Yahoo Personals, I'm an individualist and a romantic. "Individualists stand out for their imaginative, curious, shrewd qualities. They're filled with surprises and don't do things simply to please others. Not everyone appreciates these true originals. Romantics expect a lasting connection on every level-mental, emotional, sexual, and spiritual. Ultimately, they know destiny will deliver a love that most people can only dream about." I think they're right! :)
I officially endorse Barack Obama for President and founding father of a new America. Yes, whether ma likes it or not. Watch out uncle Sam! Here we come! :)
Hi my friend, I wish to invite you to check the videos recorded during my opening show to Scott Henderson at Sori Jazz Festival 2008 in Italy. Hope you like it!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gerardo! You have a very interesting history & you are putting it to work in a very cool way!
May all your birthday dreams come true...
Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands, Amazon Bestseller www.secretofthesands.com
For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...
"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson
