Cielo Drive

 

10050 Cielo Drive, Los Angeles, California

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On the night of August 8, 1969, members of Charles Manson’s cult, known as his “Family,” drove to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California. The occupants of the house that evening were actress Sharon Tate, who was eight and a half months pregnant and the wife of film director Roman Polanski; well known hair stylist Jay Sebring; Polanski's friend Wojciech Frykowski; and Frykowski's girlfriend Abigail Folger, heiress to the Folgers coffee fortune.  Also present on the property were William Garretson, the caretaker, and his friend Steven Earl Parent. Sharon Tate’s husband, Roman Polanski, was out of the country at the time.

Sharon Tate

The Manson cult members then proceeded to torture, then kill all of the home’s occupants, and Steven Parent as he was leaving. The following night, Manson and selected cult members drove to 3301 Waverly Drive in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, where they murdered Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary. The cases quickly became media sensations, first because of the viciousness of the crimes, then because of the shocking testimonies of the murderers. Young female cult members testified under oath that they believed Charles Manson was Jesus Christ reincarnated. They testified that they believed they were actually helping their victims, and committing the murders was pleasurable for them.

*   *   *   *

In the early 70s I was able to move from Pennsylvania to Laguna Beach, California. My friend Wayne Gravelle invited me to stay with him for a few weeks while I got settled.

After getting my own apartment on North Coast Highway, I got into the habit of walking along the beach early every morning. One morning I was in front of two women who were walking their dogs and talking. “Yes, we got her (her own dog) for protection while we were still living in Los Angeles. We lived down the street from the LaBiancas. We eventually decided to move down here to Laguna.”

I had never before been around anyone who had actually been directly affected by the Tate/LaBianca murders.

This summer Leslie Van Houghten was released on parole.

Vincent Bugliosi

That got me interested in relearning the details of the case, so I read Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter. Interestingly, Mr. Bugliosi noted that the only person he worked so hard to convict who might possibly be granted parole some time in the future was Leslie Van Houghten.

Personally, I don’t believe that Leslie Van Houghten should have been granted parole. But I respect the decision of California’s Governor, and the Parole Board.

Helter Skelter is the name of a Beatles song on their album entitled The Beatles, commonly known as The White Album. But it’s also the name of Manson’s plan, hence Bugliosi’s book’s title.

Manson believed that the murders would be blamed on black people, which would start a race war, that black people would win. But the black people would soon learn that running America was more complicated than they could imagine. So they would then turn to the Manson Family to run America. Manson believed this so much that at one time, because he respected Bugliosi’s skills as a lawyer, he asked Bugliosi to be his Vice President when he became President. Bugliosi declined.

Although I lived through the events, there were quite a few things that I did not know. 10050 Cielo Drive, the rented Polanski/Tate home, was owned by Rudi Altobelli. He had hired a caretaker named William Garretson, who lived in a guest house at the back of the property.

Steven Parent's Rambler parked next to the cut phone lines in the driveway of the Polanski/Tate residence. Jay Sebring's black Porsche is parked next to Abigail Folger's Firebird.

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Steven Parent had visited William Garretson to show Garretson a clock radio Garretson was interested in buying. Garretson passed, so Parent was leaving the property just as Charles “Tex” Watson was arriving with the three women Manson had sent to the property. Watson stopped Parent’s car, then lunged at him with a knife, cutting him. Watson then shot Parent three times, killing him. Parent had absolutely nothing to do with anyone in the main house, he essentially was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Leno LaBianca owned a chain of grocery stores, and nine thoroughbred racehorses, but at the time of his death he also had some $230,000 in horse race related gambling debts. However, if they had wanted to, his wife Rosemary could have easily paid off his debt as she had approximately $2,600,000 in investments. Abigail Folger, one of the victims at the Tate home, and heiress to the Folgers Coffee fortune, actually had less than one fifth of that.

On the day that the Los Angeles Times published a story on the LaBianca murder victims receiving their last rights, the paper also published a story: Police Arrest 26 Suspects in Auto Theft Ring, but it would be months before police realized both the murderers and the people arrested in connection with the auto theft ring were the Manson Family.

Manson Family members drove the same borrowed Ford to both of the homes where they committed the murders.

The actual borrowed vehicle that the Manson Family drove from the Spahn Ranch to both of the homes where they committed the murders.

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Vincent Bugliosi did not feel that the convictions of Manson and his Family members would be easy. In fact he had to be extremely careful about how he proceeded with the prosecutions, because the defense counsel was constantly making motions for dismissal and retrial, so at any time those motions might have been granted.

Mr. Bugliosi also believed the Manson Family was responsible for many other murders in California, Ohio, and even London.

After the murders, Rudi Altobelli sued Roman Polanksi and Life Magazine for $650,000 and Polanski alone for $198,000, including three months rent at $1500 per month that Altobelli claimed were due him. He charged that Polanski illegally gave Life Magazine permission to photograph the home following the murders. As a result, he said, resale value of the property was damaged. He also started litigation against Tate's parents when they refused to pay huge repair bills on his damaged investment. When that didn't work, he sued Tate's estate for almost a half-million dollars; he was awarded $4,350. Altobelli decided to just live in the home himself, which he did until 1988 when he sold it for $1.6 million.

10066 Cielo Drive, Los Angeles, California

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10050 Cielo Drive was torn down in 1994 and replaced by an 18,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style spec house nicknamed “Villa Bella.” The 9-bedroom, 13-bathroom megamansion was an attempt to rid the property of stigma once and for all—the address was even changed to 10066 Cielo Drive for good measure.

It was finally purchased for $6,375,000 in January 2000, by Full House creator Jeff Franklin.

The property is now on the market for $54,995,000.

# # # #

cielodrive.com

Helter Skelter on Amazon

Tate/LaBianca Murders on Wikipedia

by Steve Thompson

Keywords: #charlesmanson #mansonfamily #helterskelter #vincentbugliosi #celiodrive #leslievanhoughten #tatelabianca #sharontate

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman

In The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, Morgan examines a series of spiritual questions and beliefs, shared by many different people from around the world.

Check it out, and it is likely that you will recognize some people, disagree with others, and eventually learn some things you probably didn't know.

He is intentionally non-conclusive, leaving the conclusions to those who he interviews, and we the viewers.

A constant around the world is faith. Faith is powerful in all of its forms.

I personally wonder why we can't apply the power of faith to simple acceptance. 

I'll never be a woman, a Hindu, probably not a Muslim. But what if my faith simply allowed everyone to practice their beliefs? Would that really be so hard? Because they are all going to practice their beliefs anyway, regardless of what I believe. 

Remember, our country was formed on the basis of religious freedom, which includes the freedom not to practice any religion.

Maybe an amoral person using military force against his own citizens, so he could pose for cameras holding a bible upside down, then being condemned by the pastor of the church he chose as a prop doesn't smell quite right to you.

Then why not let Morgan Freeman open up a whole world of beliefs to you, and maybe answer some of your own spiritual questions, and improve your own understanding of our neighbors around the world?

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman on Netflix

Bringing 2.4 Million Active, Enthusiastic People in to Your Audience

Steve Thompson
Thompson Communications

Stroke Survivors: A Very Large Underserved Community

According to the Internet Stroke Center, each year, approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke. About 600,000 of these are first attacks, and 185,000 are recurrent attacks.

A stroke also affects the immediate family members, who have a direct stake in recovery. If every stroke survivor has only two immediate relatives, that means that approximately 2.4 million people are directly affected by strokes, and likely many more.

As with every other personal experience, when you see it portrayed onscreen it's typically a cliche of the condition, sometimes very inaccurate, immediately spotted by every single one of those 2.4 million people I just mentioned.

I'm currently watching Jack Taylor on Netflix, and the main character's mother suffered a stroke in the story. So yes, you see him helping her walk, but that's about it.

With the number of people directly affected by this condition, who are generally confronted with inaccurate information and the consequent cliched dramatic portrayals, a story that accurately, and sympathetically portrays the condition would be very well received and recommended by the survivor community.

I suffered a brain stem stroke, was hospitalized, then completed thirty-six days of rehab, then outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy, so I know what it's like, first hand.

And I now work every day. Fortunately writing press releases and getting them published has not been affected, some of my clients, and the journalists I work with, don't even know I'm a stroke survivor. One journalist I met recently didn't even know it after I met him in person!

So if you are developing a project, and you'd like to show investors how you might bring approximately 2.4 million or more more active, loyal people into your audience, get back to me, help me make lemonade out of my own personal lemons, and build your audience in the bargain!

Thanks!

Contact:

Steve Thompson

Thompson Communications

856-425-0743

(Google Voice line, for
quick voicemail and text.)

steve@thomcomm.net

About Me

Joining the Stroke Survivors Club

Update 10-13-18

****************************************

Yes, on Saturday August 11, I Joined the Stroke Survivors' Club

My wife's employer has a beautiful home in a rustic part of Phoenixville, PA.

They asked her to house sit while they were in Cape May, NJ, and she asked me to join her. So to avoid Friday afternoon traffic, I drove out Thursday evening, August 9.

Friday morning I felt a little dizzy, which I told my wife. She said: "You should see a doctor," Me: "No, I'll be fine."

I finished a press release, then went out for lunch. After lunch I started another press release.

Around 3:00pm I said I felt tired, so I took a nap until before dinner. We had dinner without incident.

Spent some time together after dinner then I went upstairs to get ready for bed.

Overnight I felt a numbness in my right hand, so I thought I'd take a walk in the morning to walk it off.

Saturday morning I woke up and my entire right side was numb, and I told my wife I thought I might have had a stroke. She thought we should get to an ER, but I said I'd take a quick shower first, which I did.

We went to Phoenixville Hospital. We parked in a lot, I walked down some steps to the ER, and even signed the admission forms.

I had a CT Scan and an MRI, which at first were inconclusive, so a neurologist was contacted, and I was admitted for an overnight stay.

On Sunday my symptoms got much worse. My speech got slurred, I lost the use of my right hand and leg.

The neurologist arrived on Monday, and concluded that I had a brain stem stroke, which is difficult to detect with an MRI, but he said he would have certain parts of the MRI images enlarged, and would be able to confirm his diagnosis.

My condition had been stabilized, so arrangements were made to transfer me to Healthsouth, in Vineland, NJ, a stroke rehab facility.

Healthsouth, Vineland, NJ

For me, and most others I'm sure, stroke rehab is a difficult process on many levels. It's a strange experience to go from being fully functional one day, to being unable to stand, walk, and use a hand the next. The rehab process is full-time, residential, and includes Occupational Therapy, (OT); Physical Therapy, (PT); and Speech Therapy.

OT is primarily upper body: Hand, Arm, and Shoulder. PT is primarily lower body: Standing and Walking. Speech Therapy is actually mostly cognitive, checking daily reasoning processes, which can be affected by a stroke.

Progress is measured by a set of standards pertaining to everyday functions: dressing, washing, motor skills, walking and standing (being able to effectively use the affected side of the body.)

When I arrived at Healthsouth, I was unable to stand, walk, or move my right hand.

After five weeks of daily therapy I returned home, and I am now able to walk with a walker, move with the use of a wheelchair, and perform simple tasks with my right hand.

My wife also received family training at Healthsouth, she is now able to help me with my full range of daily activities, while I begin to readjust to daily life.

Healthsouth therapists gave me many different types of exercises, and as long as I continue to do them, I can continue to work towards a complete recovery.

Additionally my treatments at Healthsouth resulted in me now enjoying blood pressure and blood sugar numbers that are the lowest I've had in my adult life.

My second family at The Ritz Theatre Co. has been a blessing to me. Today my wife and I attended a performance of Incorruptible, which was a very important step to me in getting back to my life.

I am eternally grateful to everyone who has helped me get through this, the best is truly yet to come!

Steve Thompson
September 23, 2018

Healthsouth, Vineland, NJ

Incorruptible, at The Ritz Theatre Co.

Understanding and Appreciating Journalistic Integrity

Steve Thompson
Thompson Communications

Journalistic integrity used to be taken for granted, but no more. 

Legitimate journalists who have produced quality, ethical work for decades have been attacked as "fake news" simply because the person featured in their stories doesn't like how he was portrayed. The same person has shown disdain for the free press in general.

The free press exposed the error of our very costly role in the Viet Nam war. The free press exposed the criminal activities of another president, and caused his eventual resignation of his office. The free press exposed our own government's separating children from their parents, then incarcerating them in centers, and holding them in cages.

In every instance, and many, many more, each of these actions would have continued were it not for a free press.

But in order for the free press to work, it needs to be coupled with journalistic integrity.

Journalistic integrity comes down to one simple element: Credibility.

We must be able to trust what we read, see, and hear from media outlets.

So how can an average person understand what is credible, and what isn't?

Substantiation.

My generation learned a lot about substantiation from the Watergate era: Woodward and Bernstein, and their editor Ben Bradlee, as depicted in the film All the President's Men.

To understand what takes place before The Washington Post publishes a story, check out their clearly defined editorial policies, which cover many elements, including fact checking.

Are they perfect? No more perfect than you and I, but when they discover a mistake they admit it, and publish a retraction or correction.

(Click or Tap to Enlarge)

Fact vs. Opinion; Fake News Isn't Opinion, It's Propaganda

Most media outlets publish both fact and opinion. 

Credible media outlets clearly identify opinion pieces. 

When legislation passes and becomes law, that's fact. It can be substantiated by the vote count, and the text of the bill.

But the law's impact is opinion. Many people use background information to support their opinions, but they remain opinions, until they can be substantiated with fact.

Less credible media outlets now routinely present opinion as unsubstantiated facts, because their audience doesn't know the difference, and probably doesn't care.

Here's a brief history, and debunking, of the recent "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory

That untrue conspiracy theory resulted in a North Carolina man entering the pizza shop in Washington DC in December of 2016, and allegedly firing an assault rifle inside the shop.

Words matter.

There are a few ways to determine whether you are receiving the truth or not.

Consider the Source

Always be sure that you recognize and respect the original source of the story, and check to see if the same story was reported by other media outlets.

Consider who benefits

Propaganda is generally spread to benefit a few people in power. One of the reasons why some media outlets publish false or misleading stories is so that they will continue to have access to the people in power, who their propaganda benefits.

Consider the questions asked by journalists

A "fluff piece" will usually include questions that flatter, but never challenge the subject.


Always Maintaining Journalistic Integrity

I've done publicity work for a wide range of different types of clients, from those selling industrial equipment intended to increase productivity, to an Academy Award Winner promoting his film roles and public appearances, to up and coming talents who are working hard to advance their careers.

I have never once had to resort to "alternate facts" for any of those clients.

Consequently, when I send out a press notice the media outlets know that they can depend on my own journalistic integrity.

Because throughout my career I have established myself as a publicist with journalistic integrity, journalists know that if they publish something that they've received from me, they are assured that we will be able to answer any questions that their audience might ask, because they know that everything that I send out is substantiated. It's fact, not opinion, not propaganda.

So if you have questions about journalistic integrity, just ask. 

If you value and need journalistic integrity, then you know you can trust me!

Contact:

Steve Thompson

Thompson Communications

856-425-0743

(Google Voice line, for
quick voicemail and text.)

steve@thomcomm.net

About Me

Understanding the Basic Publicity Process

Today you have more ways than ever to get your message out. So the task becomes how do you use all of those communications channels to your best advantage?

You can compose your message, then publish it verbatim, through paid advertising, through social media, through blogging, and through your own website.

So why implement a publicity effort?

Credibility.

When your story appears in a media outlet, it implies the endorsement of the media outlet.

Producer, SAG-AFTRA Actress Sabrina Percario has been a client for several years. Most recently she produced a film entitled Breaking with actress Alessandra Hajaj, which has earned an impressive list of festival awards.

Here is one of the places where her story appeared: Multiple Award Winning Breaking Features The Accomplishments Of Two Talented Immigrant Female Filmmakers

What went into getting that story published? 

First we had to organize all of the information into a press release.

Then I create a Media Resource webpage, where journalists can go to obtain our information. 

Breaking Media Resource Page

That way I can send an introductory email with enough information that the recipient can make up their mind quickly, without having to read the entire story. If they want more information, our intro note contains a link to our media resource page. If they don't want to take the time to download the files right away, I offer a link to an online version of the release.

Then we contact a list of media outlets who have a high probability of publishing the story. That list comes from a few different places.

When I started working with Sabrina, because she's originally from Brazil, I learned about the annual Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival. I researched which journalists covered the festival, because they have an exceptionally high probability for publishing Sabrina's stories. The Immigrant Magazine has an interest in stories about immigrants who work hard and make a name for themselves in the US. 

I submitted Sabrina's story to the editor, and she responded by saying yes, she would publish Sabrina's story, and she gave us a few editorial points she wanted to see in the story. We edited her story, and submitted it, and the editor accepted it, and published it.

The Immigrant Magazine First Story on Sabrina Percario

Submitting a story to media outlets is a subjective process, that is, sometimes media outlets have no interest in the story.

When that's the case, we turn to a commercial press release distribution service. In my opinion, the top two press release distribution services are PR Newswire and PR Web. I prefer a company called eReleases who has an arrangement with PR Newswire available at a discounted rate. I think their Buzz Builder program is an exceptionally good value. There are also less expensive services, contact me and I'll explain them too!

Many commercial distribution services offer Associated Press (AP) distribution. AP is an internationally known resource to journalists, which reaches newspapers across the country. That's mostly useful for reaching journalists who may be working on a story that covers your subject, and may want to include something from your release in their story.

With a press release distribution service there are a few options. Most services will offer publication catagories, meaning for example, with a client like Sabrina, we want Entertainment media outlets and journalists. And geographic demographics too. In Sabrina's case, we concentrate on Los Angeles and New York. 

You can Click Here to see who eReleases reaches

When press release distribution services offer guaranteed appearance on a number of media sites, it's through syndicated distribution. That's a relationship they have with a number of sites. Those usually only stay up maybe two to three months, but a few stay on longer.

These syndicated release placements are useful for social media posts.

Sabrina Percario on Financial Content, a syndicated release placement

For most clients, the two month introductory program I offer works best.

Thompson Communications Two Month Promotional Program

If you don't have the budget for that program, but you want to learn how to do everything yourself, I offer a consulting package.

Thompson Communications Consulting

In summary, the publicity process usually follows this sequence:

Distill your message into a form that will generate interest from media outlets.

Create an infrastructure for making your message accessible to media outlets, I typically use a Media Resource page and an Online Press Release, because they are a convenience to the people we're contacting, and after a week or two they begin to show up in search engine searches.

Create a target media list based on who you intend to reach with your message.

Contact those media outlets through email and telephone.

If necessary, use a press release distribution service. In a case where your subject is of general interest, I advise using a distribution service right away. There are actually many to choose from, I feel eReleases offers the best value.

Then once your release is distributed, some media outlets may publish your story without notifying you, so it's a good idea to use Google Alerts to track where your story appears.

There are five essential steps you should take if you are interested in gaining publicity. I'll send these to you right away, (for free, with no additional obligations) just write to me at steve@thomcomm.com with "5 Essential Publicity Steps" in the title and I'll get it right out to you.

Contact:

Steve Thompson

Thompson Communications

856-425-0743

(Google Voice line, for
quick voicemail and text.)

steve@thomcomm.com

About Me

Is a Confidential Outreach Right for You?

Sometimes it helps to have someone else do professional, confidential outreach for you.

Distribution is a typical subject that's handled confidentially. A list of potential distributors or co-production partners is compiled, then outreach is conducted personally. Sometimes initial contact is by traditional printed, mailed business letter. That way when a follow-up telephone call is made, the usual response is "Yes, I do remember seeing that letter."

Once a contact is established, you are notified, and you and your representatives can pick up from there.

Above the line talent promotion can also be handled this way, but it's important to understand the difference between an attorney, an agent, and a publicist in this regard. As publicist, we only convey information that is non-proprietary. So our services do not lend themselves to promoting a script or screenplay.

The confidential aspect of our work refers to the fact that the outreach is private, not public. When we promote you through a press release, we want as many people as possible to know what we're doing. When we do a confidential outreach for you, no one knows about it other than us and the people we contact on your behalf.

We also do not negotiate on your behalf. We can make an introduction on your behalf, but all financial details would be handled by yourself, your attorney, agent, or manager.

Attorneys, agents, and managers prefer to "field offers," meaning that once you have offers, they will negotiate on your behalf. But many don't want to promote you to generate those offers, so that's where I come in.

If you are looking for a way to break through to the next level in your career, consider a confidential outreach, it could be exactly what you need to advance in your industry.

A confidential outreach will only work for certain people at certain points in their career, so if this sounds interesting to you, it's best to get back to me, tell me a little about what you are doing, and what you would like to accomplish, and I'll be glad to let you know if the technique might work for you.

Contact:

Steve Thompson

Thompson Communications

856-425-0743
(Google Voice line, for

quick voicemail and text.)

steve@thomcomm.net

About Me