California (pronounced i/kælɨˈfɔrnjə/) is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third most extensive (after Alaska and Texas). It is home to the nation's second- and sixth-largest census statistical areas (Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and San Francisco Bay Area), and eight of the nation's fifty most populated cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland). The capital city is Sacramento.
California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east – from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the northwest, to the Mojave Desert areas in the southeast. The center of the state is dominated by Central Valley, a major agricultural area. California contains both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney and Death Valley), and has the third-longest coastline of all states (after Alaska and Florida). Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually.
Southern California (SoCal) is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego. The United States - Mexico border makes up the southern border. Southern California is a major economic center for the state of California and the nation.
Southern California's population encompasses five metropolitan, or MSA, areas: Los Angeles County and Orange County together make up the Los Angeles metropolitan area; the Inland Empire consists of such cities as Riverside, Ontario, and San Bernardino; the San Diego metropolitan area; the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metro area; and the El Centro area. Out of these, three are heavy populated areas; the Los Angeles area with over 12 million inhabitants, the Riverside-San Bernardino area with over 4 million inhabitants, and the San Diego area with over 3 million inhabitants. For CSA metropolitan purposes, the five counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura are all combined to make up the Los Angeles metropolitan area; with San Diego as Southern California's other CSA metropolitan area. With over 22 million people, roughly 60% of California's population resides in Southern California.
Albert Hammond OBE (born 18 May 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.
Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew up. In 1960, he started in music with Gibraltarian band 'The Diamond Boys', which had no real commercial success, but played a part in Spain's introduction to popular music. The Diamond Boys performed at the first nightclubs in Madrid to stage modern bands alongside Spanish rock and roll pioneers such as Miguel Ríos. In 1966 Hammond co-founded the British vocal group The Family Dogg, scoring a UK Top 10 hit with "A Way of Life" in 1969.
He also wrote songs for others with frequent collaborator Mike Hazlewood. These include "Little Arrows" for Leapy Lee, "Make Me An Island" (1969) (which Hammond himself re-recorded in 1979, in a Spanish disco-style version), and "You're Such a Good Looking Woman" (1970) for Joe Dolan, "Gimme Dat Ding" for The Pipkins in 1970 (itself a cover from the Freddie and the Dreamers album, Oliver in the Overworld), "Good Morning Freedom" for Blue Mink, "Freedom Come, Freedom Go" for The Fortunes in 1971 and "The Air That I Breathe" which was a hit for The Hollies in 1974. In 1971. Hammond also sang on Michael Chapman's fourth album, Wrecked Again, and worked briefly with The Magic Lanterns on recordings of his and Hazlewood's songs and other material.
Plot
9 Young Gay Men are interviewed in this Unconventional Documentary Short. All 9 men come from various areas across the country (Massachusetts, California, Texas, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, & New Jersey). However, none of the men are seen on screen, instead 9 Straight actors portray and lip-sync their appearances. The majority supports the minority in this film, as topics range from stereotypes to coming out, civil rights, and personal opinions. They may not all agree on everything, except that they do not have a choice in being who they are.
Keywords: bisexual, civil-rights, gay, heterosexuality, homosexual, lesbian, straight, unconventional
The Images are Support. The Audio is Real.
How can you tell you story if you're never seen?
Sunlight hits a sign and I'm in Union Station
My arms are heavy in their sleeves
Everyone here thinks that I've been on vacation
But I don't ever seem to leave
And all that I can tell you is my love's unfocused
And drifting overseas
Head's all full of context better left unspoken
As scenes from old Pomona dreams come washing over me
No one wants to tell you just how long they've been here
The stars are crawling out their frames
The canvas on the ankle straps is wearing thin, dear
And I can't help but feel the same
When everything in town's been taken down for renovations
The hardest part is finding your way home
Freeway cuts the sky and I'm inside it's suppurations
But Southern California's got this way of creeping up on you
And all that I can tell you is my love's unfocused
And drifting overseas
Head's all full of context better left unspoken
As scenes from old Pomona dreams come washing over me
One last look around and then I'm always leaving
The stars are falling out of tune
Fingers bear the stains of shipping and receiving
These songs that carry me to you
But this is not some list of all the ways I should have loved you
Hold you in my arms and let you down
Turn my crooked smile up to the sky and I'm thinking of you
But Southern California's got me driving home in rental cars
And Southern California's got this way of tearing me and you apart
And you know it's true, California's tearing us apart
And I want it to
But all that I can tell you is my love's unfocused
And drifting overseas
Head's all full of context better left unspoken
You always said someday you'd go to live
In Southern California
And me I'd stay right here in Tennessee
You always talked about the better days
In Southern California
But if you'll stay in Tennessee
I promise there'll be better days with me
It's not that I don't love you but I hear the call
From Southern California
There's something I can't find in Tennessee
Silver screens and limousines
They wait for me in Southern California
Though you've been so good to me
The time has come you'll have to set me free
Tomorrow when you leave you'll take my heart
To Southern California
But just remember I'll be here
To keep your heart with me until you see
Well, it's been five years an' I guess I've cried a million tears
Lookin' out the window of this little room
Right over that flashin' neon sign that says, "Bar"
It's almost midnight an' time to go downstairs and go to work
I wonder how he's doin' in, Tennessee?
Well, here I sit by the window of this big old lonely mansion
Lookin' out over the Smokies and on in everything I can see
Oh, I guess by now she's found what she was lookin' for
And as I look at this old faded photograph of the girl that I still love
I wonder if she ever, thinks of me?
But the weather's good
When the sun sets beneath the mountain tops
And the water begins to rise
I try to contain my exci-itement
But the force of the night conquers my surprise
Kids on the street corner peddlin' maps
On how to meet the stars
Prostitute turns, my body burns
She'll cure your loneliness for half an hour
Cars breeze dow-own the avenue
Rock 'n' roll's suspended in mid air
A girl cha-anting nonsense takes my money
Puts a flower in my hair
Billboards grin and my head spins
This may be heaven but it's not my ho-ome
All the sunshine and beautiful people
Make me feel more and more alone
Southern California - where your drea-eams almost come true
Southern California - where everyone's a star except for you
Southern California - like a beautiful gir-irl you cannot touch
Everyone lives forever here - those were my thou-oughts
And I don't wanna be a part of that all American dream
But still I keep on comin' back, I can't let it get the best of me
(The best of me, best of me)
Lord give me the strength to see myself clearly, see myself clearly
Oh-hoh-hoh-hoh, and time flies by like a meteor in the sky-y
And I'm wondering is it just me
Everything seems so perfect like some commerical on TV (on TV, TV, TV)
Lord give us the strength to show real feelings, real feelings
In Southern California - where your drea-eams almost come true
In Southern California - where everyone's a star except for you
Southern California - like a beautiful gir-irl you cannot touch
Everyone lives forever here, everyone lives forever here
Everyone lives forever here, everyone lives forever here
Everyone lives forever here, everyone lives forever here
(G.J.)
You always said someday you'd go to live
(In Southern California)
And me I'd stay right here in Tennessee
You always talked about the better days
(In Southern California)
But if you'll stay in Tennessee
I promise there'll be better days with me
(T. W.)
It's not that I don't love you
But I hear the call
(From Southern California)
There's something I can't find in Tennessee
Silver screens and limousines
They wait for me in Southern California
Though you've been so good to me
The time has come you'll have to set me free
(G.J.)
Tomorrow when you leave
You'll take my heart
(To Southern California)
But just remember I'll be here
To keep your heart with me until you see
(T.W.) speaks:
Well, it's been five years
N' I guess I've cried a million tears
Lookin' out the window of this little room
Right over that flashin' neon sign that says, "Bar"
It's almost midnight,
An time to go downstairs and go to work
I wonder how he's doin' in, Tennessee?
(G.J.) spoken:
Well, here I sit by the window
Of this big old lonely mansion
Lookin' out over the Smokies
And on in everything I can see
Oh, I guess by now she's found
What she was lookin' for
And as I look at this old faded photograph
Of the girl that I still love
I wonder if she ever, thinks of me
(both)
But the weather's good
On the road to nowhere, every day was just the same
So I took my belongings, and hitchhiked no more to blame
To California, in the warm Summer of love
All my life I been searching
All my life I been searching
I came to a crossroad, where a stranger gazed and spoke
He was looking kinda peculiar,
In a purple coloured cloak
He wore a token, never seen before
He said: All my life I been searching
All my life I been searching
Sunset in Southern California
and the morning seems so far so far away
Sunset in Southern California
In the distance there's the light of San Diego
I came to his temple at noon the second day
It was a lot of mumbling, in the shadows did they pray
Feeling kind of dizzy, a gong struck and people chanted
All my life I been searching
All my life I been searching
[Chorus]
Then a kind of leader, appeared in fume and smoke
All dressed in silver,
An authoritarian bloke
He turned around and talked to me
With a demagogic voice
All my life I been searching
All my life I been searching
[Chorus]