In an obvious sign of change, my eyes are wide open these days at 5:30 in the morning — Even if I went to bed at 2. Sometimes, I’d sleep much later into the morning, but that hasn’t been the case here in the past two weeks.

Oh, and that reminds me, its been two weeks now since I moved. Its a good feeling to have your own space again.

The AP reports that Hollywood actor Sydney Pollack died of cancer today at age 73. I was fond of Pollack’s character (“Marty Bach”) in George Clooney’s “Michael Clayton” (2007). Pollack was easy to connect with on screen and delivered an organic presence that’s somewhat unique in Hollywood.

I suppose I’ll now see “Made of Honor”, which was the last film he starred in.

(via AP and Yahoo)

By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay who achieved commercial success and critical acclaim with the gender-bending comedy “Tootsie” and the period drama “Out of Africa, has died. He was 73.

Pollack died of cancer Monday afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, surrounded by family, said agent Leslee Dart. He had been diagnosed with cancer about nine months ago, said Dart.

Pollack, who often appeared on the screen himself, worked with and gained the respect of Hollywood’s best actors in a long career that reached prominence in the 1970s and 1980s.

“Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act,” actor George Clooney said in a statement issued by his publicist.

“He’ll be missed terribly,” Clooney said.

Last fall, Pollack played Marty Bach opposite Clooney in “Michael Clayton,” a drama that examines the life of fixer for lawyers. The film, which Pollack co-produced, received seven Oscar nominations, including best picture and a best actor nod for Clooney.

Pollack was no stranger to the Academy Awards. In 1986, “Out of Africa” a romantic epic of a woman’s passion set against the landscape of colonial Kenya, captured seven Oscars, including best director.

Over the years, several of his other films, including “Tootsie” and “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” got several nominations, including best director nods.

Pollack’s last screen appearance was in “Made of Honor,” a romantic comedy currently in theaters, where he played the oft-married father of star Patrick Dempsey’s character.

In recent years, Pollack produced many independent films with filmmaker Anthony Minghella and a production company Mirage Enterprises.

The Lafayette, Ind. native was born to first-generation Russian-Americans.

In high school, he fell in love with theater, a passion that prompted him forego college and move to New York and enroll in the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater.

“We started together in New York and he always excelled at everything he set out to do, his friendships and his humanity as much as his talents,” Martin Landau, a longtime close friend of Pollack’s and an associate from the Actor’s Studio, said through spokesman Dick Guttman.

Studying under Sanford Meisner, Pollack spent several years cutting his teeth in various areas of theater, eventually becoming Meisner’s assistant.

After appearing in a handful of Broadway productions in the 1950s, Pollack turned his eye to directing.

Pollack is survived by his wife, Claire; two daughters, Rebecca and Rachel; his brother Bernie; and six grandchildren.

On Saturday, I spent the afternoon with a group of folks from the Meetup group, “Random Acts of Kindness”. My second outing with the group (the first was last Thursday’s teen suicide prevention fundraiser), we spent our time holding “Free Hugs!” signs and hugging random passerbys in Downtown Denver.

Judging by the level of engagement, I’d say we gave away a lot of hugs! It was a great feeling to make someone else’s day just a bit brighter by sharing something as priceless and rewarding as human touch. The experience alone was wonderful. People of all ages were stopping by for a hug.

The funny moment for me? A woman telling me, “You’re too cute NOT to hug!”, when I summoned her for a hug. Ha! Overall, it was a great and inspiring day.

I think about our solar system and the universe quite often. The magnitude of it all is overwhelming. Earth, our home planet, is simply a big capsule, revolving around the Sun (and spinning on its own axis) year after year.

It’s amazing to think that we actually move throughout space. There are so many things we still don’t know about the universe. It’s such a profound challenge to understand.

I have to say: I’m really lovin’ having an apartment near Downtown Denver (four blocks, “Uptown”, even though it feels like Downtown proper). Everything is within walking distance: Great restaurants, bars, bookstores, coffee shops, movies, etc.

Being a single guy, I really think this was a good move. Next Tuesday will be two weeks living Downtown. Things are going well.

(As of this very moment, I’m having a late dinner — Fish Tacos — at the Tavern Uptown and a few rum-n-cokes, while watching random TV screens and listening to random songs on the jukebox. Did I mention the Tavern is only two blocks away from the apartment? It’s great!)