2013年2月27日 星期三

李安自記、李安妻子自白

文 / 李安

1978年，當我準備報考美國伊利諾大學的戲劇電影系時，父親十分反感，他給我列了一個資料：在美國百老匯，每年只有兩百個角色，但卻有五萬人要一起爭奪這少得可憐的角色。當時我一意孤行，決意登上了去美國的班機，父親和我的關係從此惡化，近二十年間和我說的話不超過一百句！

但是，等我幾年後從電影學院畢業，我終於明白了父親的苦心所在。在美國電影界，一個沒有任何背景的華人要想混出名堂來，談何容易。從1983年起，我經過了六年的漫長而無望的等待，大多數時候都是幫劇組看看器材、做點剪輯助理、劇務之類的雜事。最痛苦的經歷是，曾經拿著一個劇本，兩個星期跑了三十多家公司，一次次面對別人的白眼和拒絕。

那時候，我已經將近三十歲了。古人說：三十而立。而我連自己 的生活都還沒法自立，怎麼辦？繼續等待，還是就此放棄心中的電影夢？幸好。我的妻子給了我最及時的鼓勵。

妻子是我的大學同學，但她是學生物學的，畢⋯⋯業後在當地一家小研究室做藥物研究員，薪水少得可憐。那時候我們已經有了大兒子李涵，為了緩解內心的愧疚，我每天除了在家裡讀書、看電影、寫劇本外，還包攬了所有家務，負責買菜做飯帶孩子，將家裡收拾得乾乾淨淨。還記得那時候，每天傍晚做完晚飯後，我就和兒子坐在門口，一邊講故事給他聽，一邊等待"英勇的獵人媽媽帶著獵物（生活費）回家"。

這樣的生活對一個男人來說，是很傷自尊心的。有段時間，岳父母讓妻子給我一筆錢，讓我拿去開個中餐館，也好養家糊口，但好強的妻子拒絕了，把錢還給了老人家。我知道了這件事後，輾轉反 側想了好幾個晚上，終於下定決心：也許這輩子電影夢都離我太遠了，還是面對現實吧。

後來，我去了社區大學，看了半天，最後心酸地報了一門電腦課。在那個生活壓倒一切的年代裡，似乎只有電腦可以在最短時間內讓我有一技之長了。那幾天我一直萎靡不振，妻子很快就發現了我的反常，細心的她發現了我包裡的課程表。那晚，她一宿沒和我說話。

第二天，去上班之前，她快上車了，突然，她站在臺階下轉過身來，一字一句地告訴我："安，要記得你心裡的夢想！"

那一刻，我心裡像突然起了一陣風，那些快要淹沒在庸碌生活裡的夢想，像那個早上的陽光，一直射進心底。妻子上車走了，我拿出包裡的課程表，慢慢地撕成碎片，丟進了門口的垃圾桶。

後來，我的劇本得到基金會的贊助，我開始自己 拿起了攝像機，再到後來，一些電影開始在國際上獲獎。這個時候，妻子重提舊事，她才告訴我："我一直就相信，人只要有一項長處就足夠了，你的長處就是拍電影。學電腦的人那麼多，又不差你李安一個，你要想拿到奧斯卡的小金人，就一定要保證心裡有夢想。"

如今，我終於拿到了小金人。我覺得自己的忍耐、妻子的付出終於得到了回報，同時也讓我更加堅定，一定要在電影這條路上一直走下去。

因為，我心裡永遠有一個關於電影的夢。

________________________________

From: 商品部-林明利
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 4:52 PM
To: 商品部-張碧容
Subject: 李安得獎感言全文與翻譯



【Aweather's English Club】李安得獎感言全文與翻譯，請幫忙轉錄分享向李安致敬！！！

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=358185880956937&set=a.262768613831998.50691.258370367605156&type=1&theater

Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you movie god.

謝謝你們，真的謝謝你們，謝謝電影之神。

I really need to share this with all three thousand, everybody worked
with me in life of Pi.
I wanna thank you for... I really wanna thank you for believing the
story and sharing this incredible journey with me.

我一定要把這個獎項跟所有少年Pi的三千名工作人員分享。
我想要謝謝你們…我真的想要謝謝你們對劇本的信念並且與我共同經歷這趟奇幻的旅程。

I need to thank Yann Martel for writing this incredibly inspiring
book. Everyone at Fox, thank you for taking the leap with me,
especially Tom Rothman, Jim Gianopulos, and Elizabeth Gabler. My
producers, Gil Netter, David Womark, David Lee. One of our cast,
Suraj, where are you? You're a miracle. He is playing the young Pi,
carrying the movie. Everyone of you in the cast, I cannot waste this
time talking about them. You are the golden statue in my heart.

我要謝謝 Yann Martel 寫了這麼不可思議的激勵人心的書。
每一個在福斯電影的員工，謝謝你們跟我一起跨出這一大步。
我想特別感謝 Tom Rothman、 Jim Gianopulos、 Elizabeth Gabler、我的製作人 Gil Netter,
David Womark, David Lee，還有我們的一位演員 Suraj；(Suraj) 你在哪？
你真的是個奇蹟。他飾演少年 Pi ，撐起了整部電影，
每一個我們的卡司…
我真的沒有辦法再一一提起他們了（因為感言時間有限）。
你們都是我心中的小金人。

I cannot make this movie without the help of Taiwan. We shot there. I
want to thank everybody there (who) helped us, especially the city of
Taichung. My Indian crew, I love you. My Canadian crew, I love you. My
family in Taiwan, my wife, Jane Lin - we'll be married 30 years this
summer - I love you. My boys, Haan and Mason, thank you for your
support. Finally, my agent Karen --, lawyer, Eric Shrek (?), Jody
Parlow (?). I have to do that. Especially for this movie, it's great
to have your support. Thank you, Academy. 謝謝. Namaste.

要是沒有台灣的幫助，我便無法完成這部電影。我想要感謝在台灣每個幫助我們的人，特別是台中市。

我的印度劇組人員，我的加拿大劇組人員，我愛你們。
我在台灣的家人、我的妻子（今夏即將結婚滿三十週年），我愛你們。
我的兒子 Haan 與 Mason，謝謝你們的支持。
最後，我的經紀人 Karen，律師 Eric Shrek 與 Jody Parlow。
我必須要謝謝你們。尤其是因為這部電影。感謝你們一路以來的支持。
謝謝奧斯卡。
謝謝。
Namaste（印度常用之問候語，梵語原義為「向你鞠躬致意」。)


兩個兒子說： 『爸爸很幸福，能夠娶到像媽媽這樣的女人，這是爸爸最成功的地方。』

在談及家庭溝通時，她認為相互之間的 信任、寬容、耐心和避免斤斤計較。
感恩過去… 把握當下…創造未來…
這是幾輩子修來的緣
李安與他的妻子！
李安1954 年出生在臺灣，祖籍江西。 他出身書香門第，父親是一所中學的校長，家教十分嚴格。 1973年，李安考取了臺灣國立藝專戲劇電影系。 在國立藝專?，李安對演戲和電影製作越來越有興趣， 還曾獲得臺灣話劇比賽大專組最佳男演員獎。
1975 年，他畢業後前往美國留學，先是在伊利諾大學學習戲劇導演，獲戲劇學士學位。
1978 年，在一次留學生的聚會上，李安遇見了臺灣留學生林惠嘉。初次見面，李安就被性格開朗的林惠嘉深深吸引了。這次聚會之後，他主動約林惠嘉看球賽，對性格靦腆安靜的李安也頗有好感的林惠嘉很爽快地答應了。
林惠嘉從小就非常聰明，台大畢業後以優異的成績考到美國伊利諾大學攻讀生物學博士學位。跟林惠嘉在一起，李安就像找到知音一般，總有說不完的話。 認識兩年之後，李安前往紐約大學學習電影製作。每個禮拜他都要打很長時間的電話給林惠嘉，這個習慣一直保持至今。他說，林惠嘉是自己最佳的傾聽者，她雖然沒有女性特有的嬌媚，但聲音有一股神奇的撫慰人的力量。當他心情不好的時候，只要聽到林惠嘉的聲音，所有的煩惱立刻煙消雲散。
戀愛5年之後，李安和林惠嘉在紐約舉行了一場中西合璧的婚禮。他們的婚姻得到了雙方父母的支持和祝福。 李安說，他拍的電影《喜宴》情景都是他當時結婚實況的翻版。
婚後兩人分隔兩地，聚少離多。李安在紐約大學念電影系，林惠嘉在伊利諾繼續攻讀博士學位。可是兩人的感情非常好，李安每次臨走前總是會做好一冰箱豐盛的食物留給妻子，口袋?也總是隨身攜帶著妻子的照片。李安的溫厚，搭配妻子林惠嘉的能幹，他的感性遇上了她的理性，就好像一座天平，為這個家找到了一個最適合的平衡點。
在紐約大學學習期間，李安就顯示出了他導演方面的非凡才華。1984 年，他的畢業作品《分界線》 獲得了紐約大學生電影節金獎作品獎及最佳導演獎，並取得電影碩士學位。
畢業後，李安留在美國試圖開拓自己的電影事業。但一個沒有任何背景的華人想在美國電影界混出名堂來，談何容易。
最初有一家經紀人公司看中了李安的才華，答應做他的經理人，但李安一直沒有適合美國人的劇本，經理人也只是空談。 然後，李安在美國開始了長達 6年的等待。那段時間，李安失業在家，主要靠身為藥物研究員的妻子在外工作，養家糊口。 李安每天在家除了大量閱讀、大量看片、埋頭寫劇本以外，還包攬了所有的家務，負責買菜做飯帶孩子! ，家?收拾得乾乾淨淨。 每到傍晚做完晚飯後，他就和兒子一起興奮地等待…
『英勇的獵人媽媽帶著獵物回家』這常常令林惠嘉覺得很溫馨很感動。
面對丈夫的失業，林惠嘉也曾有過傷心絕望的時候。 有一陣子她忙於上班接送孩子，由於家中只有一部車，李安常常一個人從租的住處走一個小時去打網球，打完球後再走一個小時回家，她看在眼?，心想自己真的要與這樣的人過一輩子嗎？然後她打越洋電話向媽媽訴苦，媽媽聽了很心疼，在電話中對女兒說：『實在不行，你就離了吧。』可是放下電話後，林惠嘉就忍不住嚎啕大哭，不斷譴責自己：【我怎麼變成這樣的女人。】
夫妻本應該互相支持的，比起丈夫所受的苦，她覺得自己所做的根本算不了什麼。這次之後，她就再也沒有這樣抱怨的念頭出現。 許多親戚朋友看不過去，就對林惠嘉說：『為什麼李安不去打工？大部分中國留學生不都為了現實而放棄了自己的興趣嗎？』看見妻子肩上的負擔那麼重，李安覺得過意不去，就偷偷地開始學電腦，那個時候會電腦比較容易找工作。可沒過多久，這件事就被林惠嘉發現了，她很生氣地說：『學電腦的人那麼多，又不差你李安一個！』在妻子的堅決反對下，李安只好打消了出去找工作的念頭。
林惠嘉知道李安真的只會拍電影，別的事物不會也不感興趣。她對丈夫的才氣十分肯定，她相信丈夫一定會成功的。在此期間，大兒子李涵、小兒子李淳相繼出世。林惠嘉個性非常獨立，自己能做的事從不麻煩別人。大兒子出生時，林惠嘉半夜感覺羊水破了，於是自己開著快沒油的汽車到醫院生孩子，當醫生問她要不要通知丈夫或親友時，她說不用了！醫護人員還以為她是棄婦。李安直到第二天搭飛機回到伊里諾，這才知道自己已經做爸爸了。二兒子出生時林惠嘉又趕丈夫走： 『你放心地去辦你的事吧，我一個人能行。而且你又不能幫忙，又不能幫我生！』
那些年?，林惠嘉對李安最大的幫助就是〝不理他〞，讓他去沉澱、去成長。她認為一個人要清楚自己的方向，一旦做出了決定就要為自己的決定負責，李安清楚自己只喜歡電影也只會拍電影，他就應當為自己的決定負責到底。當年她決定嫁給李安時，她清楚電影是李安惟一的選擇與愛，無論好的壞的她都必須接受。
生活中，林惠嘉是家中規矩的建立者，家?凡事她說了算， 只要是妻子的命令，李安絕對服從。只要李安在家，加上兩個兒子，這三個男人每天晚上都搶著跟她說話，時林惠嘉自己也感到困惑，老公和孩子對自己服貼，究竟是她真的懂得 〝經營〞，還是他們本性太好了，能包容像她這樣的太太和媽媽？
多年的女主外男主內的生活不僅讓李安練就了一手做菜的〝絕活〞，也磨練了他的性情。1990 年之前，李安一直處於懷才不遇的境況，不停地到好萊塢碰運氣，但都找不到合適的機會，外人都嘲笑他拍電影的熱情是癡人說夢，但妻子林惠嘉始終在背後默默地支持著他。他說： 『妻子對我最大的支持，就是她的獨立。她不要求我一定出去工作。她給我充足的時間和空間，讓我去發揮、去創作。 要不是碰到我妻子，我可能沒有機會追求電影生涯。』
經過磨練，李安的 〝中國功夫〞終成正果。1990 年，臺灣新聞局征選劇本，李安編寫了《推手》，結果獲得臺灣 1990年的政府優秀劇作獎。 之後很快由臺灣中央電影公司投資、紐約庫德瑪西恩公司製片開拍了。 這部電影是李安導演生涯的第一部長片，影片上映後好評如潮，獲得當年臺灣金馬獎最佳導演獎提名，所有人都稱讚這個突然殺出的青年導演，而李安此時已經 36歲了。
這次的成功，使臺灣中影公司對李安更加有信心，決定投拍題材比較敏感的 《喜宴》。
影片上映後又獲得更大的成功，李安也一躍成為世界知名導演。 1994 年，李安執導了《飲食男女》，成功地完成了他的 〝父親三部曲〞。影片獲第七十七屆大衛格里菲斯獎最佳外語片獎，名列 1994年臺灣十佳華語片第一名。
在接下來的 5年中，李安又拍攝了三部純美國題材的影片： 《理智與情感》、《冰風暴》和《與魔鬼共騎》。影片再一次大獲成功，不僅獲得柏林電影節金熊獎，而且還在奧斯卡競爭中獲得七項提名。
在李安開始一部片接一部片的拍攝，電影事業逐漸攀上高峰的同時，林惠嘉卻並沒有因此而成〝跟 班 夫人〞，反而更投入醫學的研究工作，同時也更盡職地扮演母代父職的角色，照顧孩子的學習和生活。 對於李安取得的驕人成績，她覺得這是他在電影這條路上堅持不懈努力的結果，所以雖然身為親密的伴侶，她始終不認為自己在李安拍電影這件事情上扮演過什麼關鍵的角色，李安的成就自然也應該歸屬於他本身。
林惠嘉經常被丈夫對電影的執著感動。1999 年暑假，電影剛開拍時她曾經帶著兩個兒子到大陸探過一次班，當她看到李安當時面臨困境身心俱疲時，她心疼得直掉淚。無論遇到多大的困難，李安從來不在拍片期間向妻子訴苦，他是個會把許多壓力放在心?的人。不過拍完戲回家的李安，可就非常需要妻子了，跟家人在一起，是他最開心的時刻。
功夫不負苦心人。經過兩年的奮鬥，李安拍攝的武俠片 《臥虎藏龍》將中國傳統文化融入一個曲折動人的悲情故事，贏得了東西方觀眾的一致好評，在很難打入的美國市場贏得一億多美元的票房，取得華語電影絕對空前的驕人成績。
2001 年的金球獎頒獎典禮上… 李安接過朱麗亞·羅伯茲頒發的最佳導演獎時，幽默地調侃道： 『我的驚喜之情難以形容。我要感謝我強悍的太太，她是《臥虎藏龍》?除了碧眼狐狸之外所有女角的典範……』
2001年的奧斯卡獎項情鍾 《臥虎藏龍》。頒獎前，林惠嘉帶著全家來到洛杉磯表示對丈夫的支持。在接受媒體採訪時，兩個兒子說： 『爸爸很幸福，能夠娶到像媽媽這樣的女人，這是爸爸最成功的地方。』
《臥虎藏龍》終於不負眾望，開創了華語電影的紀錄，一下子就拿下最佳藝術指導、最佳攝影、最佳電影音樂、最佳外語片幾個獎項，這是過去奧斯卡歷史上所沒有的。在奧斯卡頒獎典禮上，李安在得獎感言中一再提到妻子：『我老婆沒有女主角俞秀蓮漂亮，但有她的堅毅，她也有玉嬌龍的離經叛道的個性，因為她有時候會令人嚇一跳。』幾乎在李安所拍的每部電影中的女主角都有妻子林惠嘉的影子。
之後，李安開始執導耗資 1億 5000萬美元的電影 《綠巨人》，這是他拍攝的投資最大的影片，又是首次拍攝科幻片。很多事情都要摸索， 他的家人都對他完成這部影片給予了直接或間接的影響和幫助。林惠嘉是微生物學家，影片?有關遺傳基因生化部分的情節……都是她先幫助丈夫瞭解後，他再找人寫劇本，便於觀眾看得清楚明白；電影?的人體細胞圖片，也是向林惠嘉借來的；電影?有一場綠巨人與怪獸狗對打的戲，怪獸狗的圖形是大兒子李涵畫的。因為電影中涉及了深層次的人性探討，李怕年幼的觀眾看不懂，於是以小兒子李淳做測試。李淳看後讓老爸放心： 『沒問題，現在年輕人很早熟。』
果然2003 年 6 月20日，《綠巨人 上映一周之間便征服了美國影迷，奪得全美票房冠軍。
丈夫出名後，林惠嘉則對於別人稱她為導演夫人或 李 太太感到不習慣，要求別人直接叫她的名字或稱她為李媽媽。她雖然認為拍電影很辛苦，電影人很需要家庭力量的支援，但她更強調個體的獨立自主性，認為李安成名與否對她不會發生任何改變。 她說： 『李安還不是導演的時候，我就是我，李安當導演以後，我還是林惠嘉。』
從當年默默無聞到今天全球最著名的華裔導演，李安在生活態度上同樣沒有任何改變。
以李安今日的成就與地位，外面誘惑那麼多，有很多人擔心他的純樸能維持多久？林惠嘉笑著說：
『李安是很善良的人，而人的本質不容易改變，我一向的原則是只要我們自己能做的，絕不麻煩或增添他人負擔，再說【惡婆娘】如我，隨時耳提面命，李安大概還不會那麼容易被寵壞吧！』
在妻子眼?，聲名顯赫的大導演李安永遠是一個聽話的好丈夫。當年李安獲得第一個金熊獎時興奮地從柏林給妻子打電話，誰知林惠嘉為從睡夢中被吵醒感覺很不爽，怪他小題大做。
『她就是這麼酷，這麼多年來，這些外在的東西對她好像沒有半點影響。』
成名後，李安只要有時間照樣會在家下廚房給家人做飯吃。 拿了奧斯卡小金人後，有一次李安和妻子到華人區買菜，有位臺灣來的女人對林惠嘉說：
『你命真好，先生現在還有空陪你買菜！』不料當即遭到林惠嘉的搶白：
『你有沒有搞錯呀，是我今天特意抽空陪他來買菜的。』
現在李安去外面拍片，回到紐約的時候，無論多早多晚，即使公司安排車子接送，林惠嘉都盡可能自己開車去接丈夫，因為這段時間對他們很重要。在車上，大導演還像個孩子般忙不迭地、絮絮叨叨地對老婆述說外面的一切。 然後，聽老婆的讚美，也聽老婆的教誨。他說，以前窮困時，靠老婆養，現在當導演，在外頭耀武揚威，回家做收心操，像是煮煮菜，
『求』老婆罵一罵。 被老婆修理一下，也好收收心，算是平衡一下。
2001 年，《臥虎藏龍》沒有得到臺灣金馬獎最佳導演獎時，有記者問李安的感想，李安幽默地說： 『很想快點回家被老婆罵一罵。』
李安名滿天下後，美國華裔社區的男女老少請林惠嘉主講：
【牽手與推手 --- 談家庭溝通和簡易人生。】林惠嘉穿著一身普通的褲裝，不染頭髮、不施脂粉，渾身上下透著一種真實的本色。她首先介紹自己是個〝只有李安能夠忍耐〞的妻子，然後回憶起夫妻倆，在李安 6年時間與幸運女神無緣的日子?不慕財富的共識。
低調的她表示，作為李安的妻子，她和普通觀眾一樣絕不去干涉他的創作，但自信雖然不常看見丈夫，卻非常瞭解他在想什麼。
在談及家庭溝通時，她認為相互之間的
信任、寬容、耐心和避免斤斤計較。感恩過去… 把握當下…創造未來


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2013年2月25日 星期一

Life of Pi ，李安再度獲最佳導演獎

奧斯卡》李安擒小金人 感謝家鄉台灣 【2013/2/25 12:57】

[參看李安自記、李安妻子自白: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/ccshsu-clement/article?mid=10642&prev=-1&next=10641]

導演李安再度以《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》奪下奧斯卡金像獎最佳導演，特別提到感謝家鄉台灣的幫助。（路透社）
李安也提到台灣，表示該片有大半都在台灣的台中片場拍攝，感謝台灣鄉親對他的所有協助（法新社）
〔本報訊〕睽違7年，台灣導演李安再度以《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》（Life of Pi）奪下奧斯卡金像獎最佳導演，宣布獲獎瞬間李安露出燦爛笑容，全場也起立向他致意，李安笑稱感謝「電影之神」的幫助，並特別提到感謝家鄉台灣的幫助，再感謝跨越多國的工作團隊，最後以中文、印度語的「謝謝」向團隊致意，誠摯感言博得滿堂彩。

　李安感性表示，電影《少年Pi》有賴橫跨美、台、印的3000多名工作人員才能完成，儘管無法一一列舉，仍視這些工作人員為他的小天使，感謝他們陪自己一起走過神奇旅程；並特別感謝編劇和男主角蘇瑞吉沙瑪（Suraj Sharma）。

　而他也不忘提到台灣，表示該片有大半都在台灣的台中片場拍攝，感謝台灣鄉親對他的所有協助；更親口對台下的妻子表達感謝，他的妻子則流露出感動神情、拍手為他祝賀。

　李安在2006年曾以《斷背山》贏得第78屆奧斯卡金像獎最佳導演獎，是第一位也是唯一兩度獲得該獎項的亞洲導演。
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奧斯卡》實至名歸 李安再奪最佳導演 【2013/2/25 12:34】

實至名歸，李安再度奪最佳導演獎。（法新社）
奧斯卡金像獎最佳導演由台灣導演李安獲得，這是他第二度拿下小金人，今早李安也偕同妻子一起走紅毯。（法新社）
〔本報訊〕第85屆奧斯卡金像獎最佳導演由台灣導演李安獲得，這也是他繼《斷背山》（Brokeback Mountain）後，第二度拿下小金人。他上台領獎時分別用中文、印度文和英文說謝謝，並將獎獻給所有工作人員。

　由李安導演執導的《少年PI的奇幻漂流》入圍奧斯卡11項獎項，今天一早先後拿下最佳攝影獎、最佳視覺效果與最佳電影配樂等3技術獎項，剛又拿下最佳導演獎，堪稱台灣之光。

　入圍本屆奧斯卡最佳導演的有，《林肯》（Lincoln）的史蒂芬史匹柏（Steven Spielberg）、《愛．慕》（Amour）導演麥可漢內克（Michael Haneke）、《派特的幸福劇本》（Silver Linings Playbook）導演大衛歐羅素（David O. Russell）和《南方野獸樂園》（Beasts of the Southern Wild）導演班謝特林（Benh Zeitlin）。
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奧斯卡》少年Pi再奪最佳視覺效果 技術獎項連下兩城 【2013/2/25 10:09】

《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》勇奪最佳視覺效果獎，也是本片在奧斯卡中拿下的第2座小金人。（法新社）
〔本報訊〕第85屆奧斯卡金像獎最佳視覺效果獎，由電影《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》（Life of Pi）團隊拿下，李安與工作團隊激動鼓掌，這也是《少年Pi》目前拿下的第二個獎項。

　本屆奧斯卡最佳視覺效果獎其他入圍者有：《哈比人：意外旅程》（The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey）、《普羅米修斯》（Prometheus）、《復仇者聯盟》（Marvel's The Avengers）、《公主與狩獵者》（Snow White and the Huntsman）。
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[我個人的感想:  As I was watching the Oscar ceremony last night, I was struck with two facts profoundly:
1. How well Lee spoke English! He was from Pintong, his father was a middle school principle, and came to the US when he was 23. Although he has been workinng with Americans and international personalities all these years, the way he spoke English was amazing! Just compare with others from Taiwan or other countries in Asia!
 
2. Nowadays, the movie, at least many of the movies, have changed, in my perception. Movie used to be played by real persons in actual environment. We watch movies and know that we are seeing the real, spectacular, and fascinating sceneries around the world, and deal with personal interactions that might happen to us one day. We immerse in it and feel that by watching what those characters do, we may learn how to handle those difficult situations that we might one day encounter. We fantasize that we can be the hero in those scenarios one of these days, maybe, just maybe, one of these days. 
 
However, the visual effects incorporated into current movies changed all those fantasies in our minds with another kind that can occur in the mind of children. Of those series of James Bond movies, I liked "From Russia with love" the most. That was because every scenario in it could happen in our real world. There was no space ship of bad guys, no huge missile base in a far away place unknown to CIA, no gadgets that cannot be made by one of our technologies. 
 
Incorporation of computer skills in film-making changed all of these. One person jumped from one building to another, falling from a second floor to the ground, are all fakes. Samson (in "Samson and Delila") struggled with real lion. But this will never happen in movies now. Animals that we see in movies could be all created in the movie studios! 
 
With the visual effects, to me at least, the real fun of old movies have been lost.]

 

奧斯卡》李安謝「台灣」 中國媒體統統刪 【2013/2/25 21:14】

[ Civilized ??.]
 
台灣導演李安再度以《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》（Life of Pi）奪下奧斯卡金像獎最佳導演。（路透社）
〔本報訊〕台灣導演李安再度以《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》（Life of Pi）奪下奧斯卡金像獎最佳導演，宣布獲獎瞬間李安露出燦爛笑容，更特別提到感謝家鄉台灣的幫助，李安在台上說「謝謝台灣，特別是台中，謝謝我的妻子。」不料這段提到謝「台灣」的謝辭，在中國媒體上幾乎都被自動省略，僅剩「謝謝妻子」。

　李安執導的《少年Pi的奇幻旅程》勇奪奧斯卡最佳導演獎，以及最佳攝影、視覺特效、電影配樂等3項技術獎項，緊握4座小金人笑傲本屆奧斯卡。李安獲最佳導演獎時，在台上除了感謝台灣及製作團隊，也謝謝台下的妻子，在台上他說「謝謝台灣，特別是台中，謝謝我的妻子。」

　可是這段謝辭在中國媒體、網站的報導上，幾乎都僅剩下「謝謝妻子」，「台灣」這兩個字都被巧妙省略，讓網友紛紛質疑「台灣」這兩個字有這麼敏感嗎？

　不過，其實這也不是中 國第一次，刻意避開李安在奧斯卡提到「台灣」，李安2006年奪下奧斯卡最佳導演時，也曾在台上謝謝台灣，央視轉播時，就將李安一席「謝謝所有在台灣、香港及中國的人關心」全部剪掉

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奧斯卡》少年Pi奪最佳攝影獎 激動感言謝李安 【2013/2/25 10:07】

克勞帝歐·莫藍達代表《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》上台領取第1座奧斯卡獎項。（法新社）
克勞帝歐·莫藍達激動地語無倫次的表示，他不敢相信竟然獲獎，接著感謝李安。（法新社）
〔本報訊〕第85屆奧斯卡金像獎最佳攝影獎由台灣導演李安執導的《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》（Life of PI）奪得，這也是該片入圍11獎中所獲得的首獎。《少年Pi》的攝影克勞帝歐·莫藍達（Claudio Miranda）上台激動地語無倫次，也讓大家感受到得獎的喜悅。

　克勞帝歐上台後，首先表示，他不敢相信竟然獲獎，接著感謝李安，並讚嘆整個團隊的成就，激動地一直喘氣說「我實在不知道該說甚麼了」，讓觀眾會心一笑。

　其他入圍最佳攝影獎的還有《安娜•卡列尼娜》（Anna Karenina）、《007：空降危機》（Skyfall）、《決殺令》（Django Unchained）和《林肯》（Lincoln）。
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‘Life of Pi’ surprise — five essential facts about Ang Lee’s Oscar-leading film

Call it the office-pool buster. Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" surprised many by scoring a leading four Oscars on Sunday night, including a jaw-dropper for est Director.


The movie, considered unfilmable before Lee brought it to theaters, also took home Best Cinematography, Visual Effects, and Original Score.


But despite its strong box office ($113 million in the United States, $470 million internationally), "Life of Pi" seemed a long shot to outscore favorites like "Argo" and "Lincoln" heading into tonight.


[ Photos: Red carpet report card ]


With that in mind, here are five things you need to know about the adventure of an Indian boy and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, lost together at sea.


1. Fox 2000 executive Elizabeth Gabler acquired the rights to Yann Martel's 2001 best-seller in 2003. Several A-list directors were attached to the project at one point or another, including M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense"), Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men") and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie").



2. More than 3,000 actors auditioned for the lead role of Pi. The part went to Suraj Sharma, a 17-year-old student and acting newcomer who had never auditioned for anything before in his life.


3. It's certainly appropriate that "Life of Pi" has become a huge international hit, as the film is a creative collaboration among representatives from many different countries. Sharma and Irrfan Khan, who plays a middle-aged Pi, are Indian actors. Gerard Depardieu, who has a cameo as a combative cook, is French, and Rafe Spall, who plays the Writer, is British. Cinematographer Claudio Miranda is from Chile, and composer Mychael Danna is Canadian. Oh, and screenwriter David Magee was born in Flint, Michigan.


4. The Oscar-winning special effects -- including the astonishing technology that brought Richard Parker to life -- were developed and created by Rhythm & Hues Studios, which had previously won Oscars for "Babe" (1995) and "The Golden Compass" (2008). The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Feb. 13 after a deal to be bought by India-based visual effects company Prime Focus fell through.


5. Director Lee felt that 3D was the key in making what could've been an art film with limited appeal into a rollicking action adventure for mainstream audiences -- one that still stayed true to the story's strong sense of spirituality.


"I thought this was a pretty impossible movie to make technically," said Lee in an interview with Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's so expensive for what it is. You sort of have to disguise a philosophical book as an adventure story. I thought of 3D half a year before 'Avatar' was on the screen. I thought water, with its transparency and reflection, the way it comes out to you in 3D, would create a new theatrical experience, and maybe the audience or the studio would open up their minds a little bit to accept something different."


"Life of Pi" is currently available for digital download and will hit Blu-ray and DVD on March 12.


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Oscars 2013 rewind: ‘Argo,’ ‘Life Of Pi’ top this year’s Academy Awards

Oscar host Seth MacFarlane and Kristin Chenoweth


The 85th Annual Academy Awards -- better known as The Oscars -- took over Hollywood on Sunday night. First-time host Seth MacFarlane was just as divisive and outrageous as expected, and the show was filled with awkward moments, flat jokes, surprising wins, and a few genuinely touching moments.


Here is our blow-by-blow breakdown of the highs and lows of Sunday night's broadcast.



[Related: See the full list of 2013 Oscar winners]


5:44pm PST: Oscar host Seth MacFarlane attempts to add some glamor to the opening by bringing out Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron to dance as he sang "The Way You Look Tonight," but when he followed it up with sock puppets re-enacting scenes from "Flight," the class went out the window.


5:47pm PST: MacFarlane has gone into the third musical number so far in the evening as Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt sing "High Hopes" with the host singing. While none are especially good dancers, it's better than watching him confront Sally Field while dressed as The Flying Nun.


5:49pm PST: Seth MacFarlane has just added "Be Our Guest" to his repertoire as the show actually gets under way at last, after only 17 minutes.


5:50pm PST: Octavia Spencer arrives on stage to present Best Supporting Actor, mentioning that she was honored to win last year.


5:51pm PST: Christoph Waltz wins Best Supporting Actor.


5:53pm PST: Waltz wins Best Supporting Actor, his second time winning the award, and the second time winning for a role in a Quentin Tarantino film. Waltz praises his director, his cast, the film's producers, and describes the process as "a hero's journey."


5:58pm PST: Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy are on stage to present an award for Best Animated Short. They decide to have fun with the microphone. It's hard to imagine these people are regarded as gifted comic actors, though they seem comfortable at least.


6:00pm PST: "Paperman" wins for Best Animated Short. John Kahrs mentions that this year, all the nominated films were available to the voters, a big revelation.


6:01pm PST: "Brave" wins Best Animated Feature, continuing Pixar's domination of the category. Mark Andrews wore a very handsome kilt for the occasion.


6:03pm PST: Reese Witherspoon, in a striking blue gown, arrives on stage to present clips from "Les Miserables," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," and "Life Of Pi."


6:05pm PST: Quvenzhane Wallis looks adorable as the camera finds her after showing clips from "Beasts Of The Southern Wild." This prompts MacFarlane making jokes about her being too young for George Clooney.


6:08pm PST: The stars of "The Avengers" -- sadly not in costume -- arrive to hand out the Best Cinematography award, and begin by cracking jokes about who looks oldest.


6:09pm PST: Claudio Miranda wins for "Life of Pi," who describes the film as "a beast to make," and reveals he has hair like Helen Mirren.


6:12pm PST: "The Avengers," who either planned to stumble over one another's words or didn't quite mesh, next present for Best Visual Effects. As expected, "Life of Pi" has won, with Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott taking the stage. While the orchestra tries to play them off, they give a shout out to Rhythm & Hues, the effects company they worked with that recently went bankrupt.


6:17pm PST: Channing Tatum and Jennifer Aniston are up next to deliver the awards for costuming and make-up. Tatum mentions that George Clooney can roll out of bed camera ready. Aniston jokes about waxing.


6:19pm PST: "Anna Karenina" wins for Best Costume design. Jacqueline Durran thanks her children, who are fast asleep in England as he wins the award.


6:21pm PST: The Make-Up and Hairstyling trophy goes to "Les Miserables." Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell call the award "an incredible honor," and seem genuinely overwhelmed by the experience.


6:24pm PST: Halle Berry introduces the James Bond tribute, paying tribute to "the sights, sounds, and music of the past fifty years." The clip montage is heavy on beautiful women, elaborate stunts, and stylish visuals, just as it should be.


6:26pm PST: Shirley Bassey, a legend in the U.K., comes onstage in a strapless gold lame grown to sing "Goldfinger." For a woman of 76, she looks and sounds marvelous.


6:28pm PST: A BIG ovation ovation for Shirley Bassey!


6:35pm PST: Kerry Washington and Jamie Foxx are up to present Best Short Live Action Film. Shawn Christensen wins for "Curfew," offers "a big thank you" to the Academy for supporting short films. Christensen literally has to catch his breath as he thanks everyone.


6:38pm PST: Washington and Foxx next present the Best Short Documentary award to Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine for "Inocente," the story of a young, homeless artist, with the artist on stage with the filmmakers.


6:41pm PST: Liam Neeson takes the stage to present highlights the next trio of Best Picture nominees. The clips from "Lincoln" remind us of the greatness of one of our most powerful presidents, the clips from "Zero Dark Thirty" reminds us of the danger and bravery that went into the mission to capture bin Laden, and the clips from "Argo" remind us that Ben Affleck was able to license Led Zeppelin tunes for the movie.


6:42pm PST: "The last actor who really got inside Lincoln's head was John Wilkes Booth … 150 years later, too soon?" -- Seth MacFarlane.


6:46pm PST: Ben Affleck, after being kidded about "Gigli" by MacFarlane, comes forward to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. "Searching For Sugar Man," about the brilliant and reclusive musician Rodriguez, win the prize. Director Malik Bendjelloul thanks Sony Classic Pictures for being "the best studio on the planet," while producer Simon Chinn says the fact the musician didn't want to take the spotlight away from the filmmakers by appearing on stage says everything you need to know about him.


6:51 pm PST: Jennifer Garner and Jessica Chastain looks pretty amazing as they present for Best Foreign Language Film. "Amour," as expected, wins the award, and director Michael Haneke thanks his wife for supporting him for thirty years, as well as his leading actors, Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant.


6:55pm PST: John Travolta introduces a tribute to great screen musicals of the past decade, with members of the casts of "Chicago," "Les Miserables," and others performing hit songs from the films.


6:57pm PST: Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was very pregnant when she performed on the Oscars the year "Chicago" was nominated, is better able to flaunt her sexiness tonight. Her voice is in good shape, too.


6:59pm PST: Jennifer Hudson is next, performing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls." She may look slinkier than she did when she made the film, but she sounds as good as ever, and the crowd is clearly with her.


7:05pm PST: The members of the cast of "Les Miserables" next take the stage, significantly the only film from the medley that is nominated tonight. Hugh Jackman seems most comfortable singing in character, while Russell Crowe looks like he did this on a dare.


7:11pm PST: Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana from "Star Trek" are fittingly on hand to summarize the technical awards that were handed out several days earlier, including honoring digital animation technology, lenses, and motion control cameras.


7:14pm PST: Mark Wahlberg arrives on stage with Ted, the foul-mouthed teddy bear from host MacFarlane's film, to hand out the sound mixing award. The bear's animation is more impressive than his jokes. Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes take the prize for "Les Miserables," Nelson mentions it's a special honor to get the award on the night Oscar honors musicals.


7:18pm PST: Wahlberg and Ted announce a very rare tie in the category of Sound Editing. First Paul N.J. Ottoson gets an award for "Zero Dark Thirty" (he previously won for "The Hurt Locker"), and then Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers are called to the stage for "Skyfall."


7:21pm PST: Christopher Plummer praises the Best Supporting Actress nominees for their experience and bravery, and jokes he'd be happy to work with any of them in one of his next thirty films.


7:24pm PST: "It came true!" said Anne Hathaway after winning Best Supporting Actress for "Les Miserables." Given the lukewarm reception she received last year as Oscar co-host, this is real vindication for Ms. Hathaway.


7:31pm PST: Hawk Koch, head of AMPAS, talks up the Academy's upcoming Motion Picture Museum and presents a handful of student filmmakers who will hand out awards.


7:35pm PST: Sandra Bullock discusses the fine and sometimes cruel art of film editing as she gears up to hand out the Oscar in the field. After struggling to open the envelope, she announces that William Goldenberg has won for "Argo." He describes the screenplay as "an editor's dream."


7:36pm PST: Jennifer Lawrence describes Adele's "Skyfall" as "as irresistible as 007 himself."


7:38pm PST: Adele, wearing a sequined but otherwise simple black dress, doesn't offer a splashy or choreographed performance of her nominated Bond theme "Skyfall." She just sings it with force and emotional honesty, and sounds superb.


7:46pmPST: Nicole Kidman presents the third and last set of nominees for Best Picture. Kidman describes "Silver Linings Playbook" as an "instant classic," calls "Django Unchained" "a wicked thrill," and declares that "Amour" "asks us to reflect on the true meaning of love." Either Kidman or her writers know how to sum up movies pretty well.


7:50pm PST: Daniel Radcliffe and Kristin Stewart (the latter clearly nursing a bad leg) are on stage to hand out the award for Best Production Design. "Lincoln" wins the award; designer Rick Carter accepts the award, thanking set decorator Jim Erickson and his wife Adele (presumably not the singer).


7:54pm PST: Salma Hayek is up next to cite the winners of special prizes handed out at the Governor's Awards. Hal Needham, D.A. Pennebaker, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and George Stevens, Jr. are praised for their accomplishments, are are shown in attendance at the ceremony, hoisting their Oscars.


8:02pm PST: George Clooney introduces the annual "In Memorium" montage of artists who passed since last year's awards. Ernest Borgnine, Adam Yauch, and Richard D. Zanuck earn passing applause, but for the most part the audience is respectful in their silence.


8:04pm PST: At the end of the memorial montage, Barbra Streisand arrives to sing "The Way We Were" in tribute to the song's co-author, Marvin Hamlisch. Her performance is fittingly emotional and heartfelt.


8:11pm PST: As MacFarlane introduces Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger, Queen Latifa and Catherine Zeta Jones to present Best Original Score, he insists "we're concerned this show isn't gay enough yet."


8:12pm PST: Best Score goes to "Life of Pi," to great enthusiasm from Richard Gere. Composer Alexandre Desplat thanks Ang Lee profusely.


8:17pm PST: Two nominated songs -- "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice," "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi" -- are represented only by clips from the films, despite the many production numbers in this year's show. Norah Jones does appear to perform Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted" with the orchestra.


8:18pm PST: Best Song goes to "Skyfall," as was predicted. Adele, who has been picking up plenty of awards in recent years, hardly looks or sounds jaded by the experience, and seems to be fighting back tears at the end of her speech.


8:23pm PST: Dustin Hoffman congratulates Charlize Theron, saying "You're a good dancer."


8:26pm PST: Hoffman and Theron present the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, with Chris Terrio winning for "Argo." Terrio cites "brilliant, brilliant Tony Kushner," the screenwriter for "Lincoln," and the real-life heroes of "Argo."


8:29pm PST: The Best Original Screenplay Oscar goes to Quentin Tarantino, who declares it's cool to be getting the trophy from Theron, his neighbor. Tarantino refuses to be played off by the orchestra, and says it was an honor to win in what he considers "the writer's year."


8:31pm PST: As the Oscars return from commercial break, the show is now officially over schedule.


8:34pm PST: "The children of screen legends who became screen legends themselves," Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas, come to center stage to present the award for Best Director, often the preview of Best Picture.


8:36pm PST: In a genuine upset, Ang Lee wins for "Life Of Pi," the second win for the director. Lee begins by jokingly thanking "Movie God," and seems honestly surprised to have won.


8:42pm PST: Jean Dujardin is on deck to present Best Actress, and shows that despite being silent in "The Artist," he can talk, and be rather witty.


8:45pm PST: Jennifer Lawrence wins the Best Actress award for "Silver Linings Playbook." She trips on the way to the stage, but seems delighted if nervous to be on stage. Bradley Cooper beams as she gives her speech, and she graciously wishes a happy birthday to fellow nominee Emmanuelle Riva.


8:47pm PST: Meryl Streep, who needs no introduction, strides on stage without one. She describes nominees for Best Actor as "the finest among equals."


8:51pm PST: Daniel Day-Lewis wins Best Actor for "Lincoln," making him the first actor to win in the category three times. "I really don't know how any of this happened," he says as he begins a speech in which he jokes he and Meryl Streep actually switched roles when he was cast as Margaret Thatcher and she was committed to play Abe Lincoln. He also makes fun of his well-documented immersion in his roles by thanking his wife, "who has had to live with some very strange men."


8:54pm PST: Jack Nicholson comes aboard to hand out the Best Picture honor, with Michelle Obama assisting via satellite from the White House. The First Lady looks nearly as glamorous as any of the actresses who've appeared before the podium tonight.


8:57pm PST: And Best Picture goes to "Argo," a Best Picture/Best Director split that occurred since Ben Affleck was curiously not nominated for the award. Given that the State Department was rooting for the film, it's fitting that Michelle Obama announced the winner from the White House.


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2013年2月20日 星期三

台美人醫師陳榮良伸援 美街友重當發明家






台美人醫師陳榮良伸援
美街友重當發明家


從醫療器材的發明人淪落成無家可歸的街友，再從被打、被搶的絕望街友變成發明家，被無數媒體追逐，甚至和好萊塢簽下一紙電影合約…，麥可．威廉斯（Mike Williams）的傳奇故事，在短短三個月內紅遍全美。目前他忙著為街友和災民建造可舒適居住的「移動艙（Pods）」，為街友設專用社區奔走。





 





麥可．威廉斯故事 轟動全美





 





而在這個故事裡改變威廉斯命運的人，則是今年七十二歲、來自台灣的泌尿科醫師陳榮良。他為受傷的威廉斯動前列腺手術，鼓勵威廉斯重拾發明長才。總是默默助人的陳榮良，突然成為媒體矚目的英雄；美國公共電視台以及ＡＢＣ電視網的熱門調查採訪節目「20/20」相繼採訪他，加州州長布朗打電話給他，希望合作幫助街友，美國白宮的幕僚也和他聯絡。好萊塢的電影公司則告訴他，影片中要扮演他的演員已經找好了。





 





故事的起頭原本是一個悲慘世界。今年六十歲的威廉斯曾經擁有二十項發明專利，包括牙科醫生專用的口腔手術攝影機、心臟手術攝影機。但是長年照顧得了阿茲海默症的姻親，再加上投資錯誤，使他在二○○九年陷入破產狀態，隔年，二十八年的婚姻也因此告終。在前妻再婚、三個兒女都無力收留他的情況下，他帶著電腦，隨身衣物還有五歲孫女送他的馬克杯開始開車流浪。最後付不起貸款，連車也賣了。





 





發明人淪為街友 曲折又離奇





 





睡在垃圾桶邊的威廉斯從來沒有想過，自己有一天需要靠領政府的糧食券、餐廳裡不要的食物和偶爾的乞討為生。他常因為感到羞恥而哭泣。原本威廉斯以為自己已跌到谷底，沒想到去年他在加州沙加緬度的一處公園睡覺時，兩個陌生男人搶了他的電腦，還把他打成重傷。





 





身為虔誠的基督徒，威廉斯想起自己有錢時也是樂善好施、熱心助人，忍不住質問上帝，自己到底做錯了什麼？讓神對他如此生氣？繼續在街頭流浪必死無疑。威廉斯為了生存到處求醫和求援，可是受盡白眼，一家醫院的急診室甚至告訴他：「九十天以後再回來。」最後他在一個病患建議下向救世軍求援，在社工人員協助下得到一個床位。住進救世軍，他發現自己前列腺也嚴重受傷，他又在救世軍幫助下，到陳榮良開業的醫院接受手術。





 





陳榮良當推手 成就不凡傳奇





 





結果陳榮良不但救了他的命，還救了他的人生。威廉斯說，陳榮良以愛和尊重的態度為他治病，在聽完他的故事之後還願意幫助他。知道威廉斯有一個專為街友和災民建造「移動艙」的新發明構想後，陳榮良主動表示願意當他的合夥人，投資建造移動艙，還為威廉斯租了一間每個月一千美元的公寓，讓他可以正常生活。身為第二代基督徒的陳榮良說，父母從小帶著他上嘉義朴子教會，經常告訴他： 「施比受有福。」錢對他來說並不是太重要。





 





威廉斯去年十二月把自己的經歷發表在加州的一份地方報紙上，見證這是上帝給他的一個神蹟。接著《舊金山紀事報》和《洛杉磯時報》跟進報導。然後事情就像滾雪球般掀起熱潮。「一對不可能的夥伴」，有媒體這樣形容棕髮藍眼的威廉斯和靦腆低調的陳榮良。





 





現在這對不可能的夥伴正以驚人的速度，展開了拯救街友的任務。





 





〔駐美特派員曹郁芬／華府十八日報導]

A Doctor's Kindness Gives Homeless Inventor A Second Chance

NPR StaffJanuary 27, 2013

In California in the early 1980s, a cracked tooth sent Mike Williams to the dentist's office.


When Williams asked to see the tooth, the dentist said he had a mirror but that there was no camera or anything to show people the insides of their mouths. So, Williams invented one: the first intraoral camera.


His invention was a big success, and it led to other medical technology ventures that made him millions of dollars. Williams' career as an inventor and entrepreneur took off, but it wouldn't last.


"The real estate market destroyed a lot of my financial capabilities, and my home went into foreclosure [in 2009]," Williams tells NPR's Robert Smith. "I had a group that defrauded me in Florida, took about $2.5 million from me in a scam, and it just kept going and kept going and I couldn't stop it."


His world was crumbling. Then his wife asked for a divorce.


To me, a patient is a patient, no matter what kind of status [they] have. They need the help, [and] we can give him the help.
Dr. Jong Chen

"I packed my car, told my kids to come and get what they wanted and I basically hit the streets," he says.


The successful inventor had become homeless.


For a while, Williams lived out of his car and kept a journal on a laptop. Once he fell behind on the car payments, he took shelter in a dumpster. The situation hit him hard.


"I found out that I was really nothing, and that was very hard for me to grasp; the fact that no one wanted me around," he says. "I was something nobody wanted to see or be involved in, and that crushed me."


One night last August, Williams was sleeping in a Sacramento park when two men began kicking and beating him. They beat him until he passed out, taking his belongings and leaving him with severe injuries.


Williams walked to the emergency room. He didn't have health insurance, and he says he waited for hours before seeing a doctor.


"Little did I know that that beating would be the beating that changed my life," he says.


A Second Chance


Williams' injuries eventually led him to Dr. Jong Chen.


He went to Chen complaining of pain in his lower abdomen; it turns out he suffered prostate damage that required surgery. Before the operation, the two men struck up a conversation, and Chen asked him how he became homeless and what he did before that.


"And I started telling him the story," Williams says. "And I said, 'As a matter of fact, I'm the inventor of that little wire catheter you're using.' "


Chen thought it was a waste that an inventor like Williams was on the street, so he devised a way to help him. He later called Williams at a local Salvation Army shelter and asked to take him out to breakfast.


"He said 'I want you to bring your patents. I want you to bring whatever you're working on,' " Williams says.


They went to breakfast, and Williams talked of about his idea to invent a secure, safe place for the homeless and people that are displaced in society.


"I want to give them a safe place to live," he says he told Chen.


Williams came up with the idea while resting in one of the only safe places he could find: a dumpster. He'd even drawn up the plans for a self-contained survival pod — a 6-foot by 6-foot structure with a single bed and a chemical toilet.


Chen signed on, and they formed a company to start working on a prototype pod. They also envision other applications — FEMA could use them for emergency housing, and airports could rent them to travelers with long layovers.


All of that got started with an unusually generous contribution.


"To me, a patient is a patient, no matter what kind of status [they] have," Chen says. "They need the help, [and] we can give him the help."


Chen got Williams out of the shelter and back on his feet. He helped him get an apartment, new clothes and treated him to meals when the two would meet.


Williams says he is humbled by the second chance he's been given by the generosity of one man, and says it's people like Chen who are truly helping people.


"[Dr. Chen] is truly an amazing man," Williams says. "I'm just telling you, [he] is the example for America."



ROBERT SMITH, HOST:


This past week, one of our producers read a story in the Los Angeles Times that seemed almost like a movie pitch. Fade in - interior - California, early 1980s. Mike Williams is an inventor without an invention. A cracked tooth has sent him to the dentist's office, and he asked if he can see it.


MIKE WILLIAMS: Don't you have any cameras or anything to really show people their teeth? And he goes, no, no, we don't need that. We've got a mirror. And I'm going, well, how are you going to show me my teeth then? And he goes, you know what, Mike, that's an excellent idea.


SMITH: Eureka. Mike Williams set about inventing the first intraoral camera, and it was a big success. From there, he formed a company and sold it.


WILLIAMS: For about a million dollars.


SMITH: Other medical inventions followed.


WILLIAMS: And from there, my career took off. One day, David Letterman called me and said, I just read about your little camera. Can you come on down to Rockefeller Center in New York and bring your cameras to the studios and set them up?


(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN")


DAVID LETTERMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, for the first time anywhere, the Late Night Monkey Cam Mobile Unit, Zippy. Paul?


SMITH: I forgot about the monkey cam. The monkey cam was amazing.


WILLIAMS: Yup.


(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN")


LETTERMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's easy to see that this technology has limitless applications.


SMITH: Mike Williams was successful, appreciated, in demand. But just like in a movie, it wouldn't last. Jump cut to the 2000s.


WILLIAMS: The real estate market destroyed a lot of my financial capabilities, and my home went into foreclosure. I had a group that defrauded me in Florida, took about $2.5 million from me in a scam. And it just kept going and kept going, and I couldn't stop it. Just everything crumbled. And then my wife asked for a divorce. And when she asked for a divorce, I packed my car and told my kids to come and get what they wanted, and I basically hit the streets.


SMITH: Mike Williams, successful inventor, was now homeless. For a while, he lived out of his car, kept a journal on a laptop. But once he fell behind on his car payments, he took shelter in a dumpster.


WILLIAMS: I found out that I was really nothing, and that was very hard for me to grasp, the fact that nobody wanted me around. They really didn't want me sleeping next to their cars or in their backyards or out in the parks. That I was something nobody wanted to see or could - even be involved in. And that crushed me.


SMITH: And I understand that one night, you were sleeping in the park and - well, tell me the story.


WILLIAMS: Well, this particular night, I was roaming the streets of Sacramento. And down on the capital city state mall, there's a very large rose garden there. And I thought, man, this would really be a nice place to just hang out. So I hid underneath the fountain of the rose garden. I had my laptop in a bag. And about 1 o'clock in the morning, I was woken up with two guys that were kicking me and trying to pull me out and grabbing me. And I fought as best I could, but they kicked me so hard that I passed out. They gave me severe hernias and destroyed my prostate.


And I laid there. I just laid there and cried. And, of course, I lost my laptop. I lost all of my notes and all of my pictures from the streets and whatever. I got up, and I walked to Sutter emergency room. And I waited there for 19 hours. I was a homeless guy, didn't look too good, didn't smell too good, and in a lot of pain and no insurance. And finally, they took me in. And little did I know that that beating was truly the beating that changed my life.


SMITH: It changed his life because Mike Williams' injury would eventually lead him to Dr. Jong Chen.


DR. JONG CHEN: He come into my office complaining all of the pain in the lower abdomen.


SMITH: Before Dr. Chen performed surgery on Williams' damaged prostate, the two struck up a conversation.


WILLIAMS: He asked me, he says, well, what did you do with your life? How did you become homeless? And I started telling him the story. And I said, as a matter of fact, I'm the inventor of that little wire catheter that you're using.


CHEN: And I asked about his education background. I said, well, what a waste - this gentleman, you know, walking on the street.


SMITH: What a waste. Dr. Chen saw a way to help Mike Williams get off the street.


WILLIAMS: And he called me at the shelter one day, and he asked me out for breakfast.


CHEN: He almost cried, you know? I said, oh, go ahead. It'll be on me.


(LAUGHTER)


WILLIAMS: So he said, I want you to bring your patents. I want you to bring whatever you're working on. And so he picked me up. We went to McDonald's. And he said, well, what are you doing now? What's your new invention? And I told him I want to invent for the first time a secure, safe place for homeless people and people that are displaced in our society. I want to give them a safe place to live.


SMITH: Mike Williams came up with this idea while resting in one of the only safe places he could find: a dumpster. He'd drawn up plans for a self-contained survival pod.


WILLIAMS: It's six feet wide, six feet tall. It's got a single bed in it. It's got a chemical toilet.


SMITH: And Dr. Chen signed on. He agreed to form a company with Mike Williams and start creating a prototype pod. They envision other applications too. FEMA could use these shelters for emergency housing. Airports could rent them to travelers with long layovers. And it all got started with an unusually generous contribution.


CHEN: To me, a patient is a patient no matter what kind of status you have. They need the help, we can give him the help.


WILLIAMS: Dr. Chen not only took me out of the shelter, he took me downtown and got me a really nice apartment. He took me to Macy's and bought me all new clothes, a whole new wardrobe. He still treats me for free. He just can't do enough. Truly an amazing, amazing man.


SMITH: So, Mr. Williams, this is an amazing opportunity. Very few people get even the first chance that you got to invent something and build a company around it. You've been given another chance with a new business partner, a new idea, a new start on life. How do you personally change the way you approach the world?


WILLIAMS: With humility and prayer every day.


SMITH: You weren't humble before?


WILLIAMS: I was humble, but I was rich. And I think that's probably what the problem is with our leaders, is that once you have a separation of class and you're rich, you can be humble, you can say all the right things, you can pretend like you care, but are these people really the ones that are pulling people out of the streets, give them a second chance, give them a job, loving them the way Dr. Chen love me because they're rich. And I'm just telling you that Dr. Chen is the example for America.


SMITH: That's inventor Mike Williams who, along with Dr. Jon Chen, is developing a portable housing pod for the homeless. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.



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