Last night I saw “Jaws” at the Egyptian theatre in Hollywood. This movie feels like part of my DNA. The print was old and beautiful with a color true to 1974. Other than a woman behind me who emitted a series of  ”Ahhs!” “Ooohs” and “Aww” for every potential shark sighting or lost child on the beach and who actually asked her friend the meaning of Quint’s famous quip, “Here’s to swimmin’ with bowlegged women,” I had a great time. Part of the benefit of Los Angeles is to be able to watch movies with people who stay to see the name of the key grip and explode in cultish appreciative applause at key moments, and I have zero tolerance for people who can’t keep their mouths shut. ANYWAY,  Since l’ll actually be going on a great white dive in South Africa next year, the shark’s destruction of the cage really scared the hell out of me, no matter how rubbery and awkward the whole thing looked. My friend Dan and I took public transportation to the theatre, which was nice since global warming hurts the ocean…! Seeing Peter Benchley’s cameo as the TV reporter made me excited for the 40th Anniversary JAWS benefit I’ll be hosting in February.

I  want to do as much creative stuff like that this year as possible. I don’t want all my work for sharks to be signing petitions. But sometimes so-called “slacktivism” is the best I can manage with the demands of my glamorous lifestyle.

Anyhow, here’s what I did today:

1. Signed a petition to ban the sale of shark fins in Canada

2. Sent a letter to the Secretary General of the U.N. asking for a worldwide ban on shark finning and the selling of shark products.

3. Volunteered at savingsharks.com offering my services as a writer, teacher, etc. to organize a benefit, coordinate volunteers or whatever else they might need.