Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California

Hollywood Forever Cemetery is one of Los Angeles’ most fascinating cultural landmarks - a place where history, memory, and creativity blend into a uniquely Southern California experience. Founded in 1899, it sits in the heart of Hollywood and has become the final resting place for countless iconic figures from the entertainment industry. Walking its grounds, you’ll find memorials to legends like Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino, Cecil B. DeMille, and Johnny Ramone, each reflecting a piece of Hollywood’s evolving story.

What makes Hollywood Forever especially compelling is how it remains an active, vibrant part of the community. The cemetery regularly hosts outdoor film screenings on its expansive lawn, where locals and visitors gather to watch classic movies under the stars. Seasonal events, like Día de los Muertos celebrations, turn the grounds into a beautifully decorated tribute to culture, remembrance, and artistry. These gatherings help transform the cemetery into something more than a place of mourning: it becomes a living space for connection and reflection.

The landscape itself is peaceful and meticulously maintained, with palm trees, ponds, sculptures, and historic mausoleums creating an atmosphere that’s serene yet cinematic. Many visitors come simply to walk, explore the architecture, or enjoy a quiet moment amid the bustle of central Los Angeles.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery stands as a distinctive blend of legacy and life, honoring the past while embracing the present. It’s a destination where stories endure, creativity is celebrated, and the spirit of Hollywood feels very much alive.

French Crown Jewels in the Galerie d'Apollon

The French Crown Jewels displayed in the Galerie d’Apollon at the Louvre Museum in Paris are among the most dazzling reminders of France’s royal past. They glitter beneath gilded ceilings once meant to glorify kings, yet today they belong to the people - symbols of artistry, power, and the sweeping drama of French history.

The Galerie d’Apollon itself feels like a jewel box. Built in the 17th century under the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, it was designed to embody divine light and royal grandeur. The architect Louis Le Vau began the work, while Charles Le Brun, the king’s chief painter, filled the vaulted ceiling and arches with mythological imagery celebrating Apollo, the god of the sun and the arts. 

Later, in the 19th century, Eugène Delacroix added the spectacular painting Apollo Slaying the Python, which crowns the gallery today. Every inch of the space glows with gold and colour, reflecting both sunlight and the radiance of the jewels within it. It is no wonder that this room, once a royal showcase, became the perfect home for France’s surviving Crown Jewels.

The story of these jewels begins with King François I in 1530, who declared that certain treasures should belong not to the monarch personally but to the French state. 

This decision established the tradition of the Crown Jewels of France, meant to represent the continuity of the monarchy. Over the centuries, kings and queens added to the collection: diamonds, pearls, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires gathered from across the world. These were not just ornaments - they were instruments of image and influence, worn at coronations, weddings, and state ceremonies to project wealth and divine right.

Among the most celebrated of these gems is the Regent Diamond, discovered in India and purchased for the French crown in 1717. Its 140 carats of flawless brilliance made it one of the most famous diamonds in the world. It has graced royal crowns, the hilt of Napoleon Bonaparte’s sword, and even the admiration of jewelers centuries later. 

Another storied stone, the Sancy Diamond, has a pale yellow hue and a mysterious past, having passed through the hands of European princes before joining the French royal treasury. The collection also includes the Côte de Bretagne, a striking red spinel carved into the form of a dragon, said to have once belonged to Anne of Brittany.

During the French Revolution, the jewels were seized as property of the nation. In 1792, thieves broke into the royal treasury and made off with much of the collection in a daring heist. Some of the treasures were later recovered, but others vanished into private collections, never to be seen again. Decades later, under the Third Republic, the government decided to auction off most of what remained. In 1887, the bulk of the jewels were sold to private buyers, in an effort to erase the last symbols of monarchy. It was a controversial move that many historians still regret.

Fortunately, a few of the most important pieces were saved for the nation. These survivors now sparkle in the Galerie d’Apollon, displayed in glass cases beneath the gilded vaults that once echoed with royal footsteps. The Regent Diamond still catches the light like a captive sun. The Sancy sits beside it, glowing softly under the glass. The Côte de Bretagne spinel gleams crimson, a relic of the Renaissance. Nearby, the emerald and sapphire parures of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, showcase the elegance of 19th-century design.

To stand in the Galerie d’Apollon today is to feel the weight of centuries compressed into a single shimmering space. The jewels that once symbolized royal power now embody something larger - the artistry and enduring heritage of France. Their beauty, once meant to awe subjects and foreign courts, now belongs to everyone. Visitors move quietly through the gallery, faces lit by the reflections of diamonds and gold leaf, feeling the same mixture of wonder and reverence that once surrounded the kings and queens of France.

The 17th Screening at the Monarch Theatre

Following the end of the 16 show premiere run at the Monarch Theatre last year - today, international students from the public school system were looking for something to do amid the ongoing provincial strike and came to the Monarch for a special screening of Your Cinema Needs You. For those unfamiliar, this was the documentary I directed about Canada's oldest, surviving, purpose-built movie theatre - the one and only, Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta. 

I have to confess I had nothing to do with arranging this. I got the heads up when my documentary was requested, so came down to grab a few pictures this afternoon. Talk about an unexpected throwback Thursday. With extensive renovation efforts still in full swing, I somehow feel this won't be the last time Your Cinema Needs You is screened here.