By Melanie Maxwell (May 25, 2018)

How did I NOT know about this until tonight? After an exhausting week of deadlines, I finally got in bed before midnight. I was happy to be channel-surfing at 9pm, then thrilled when I came upon the HBO documentary, “If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast,” with Carl Reiner. And, I was unaware it was going to have a smooth jazz twist!

I was immersed in joy watching the 95-year-old writer-comedian interview and feature several celebrated nonagenarians, and a few others over 100, to show how the twilight years can truly be the happiest and most rewarding.

When I realized how inspirational it was, I grabbed my iPad and starting taking notes from a fabulous cast that included, among others, Jerry Seinfeld. He shared his 3 principles of life, which are:

1. Bust your ass. Whatever you’re doing, bust your ass. Work as hard as you possibly can.

2. Pay attention. Pay attention to what’s around you all the time. Appreciate what’s around you all the time.

3. Fall in love. Love doesn’t mean romantic love. I believe, fall in love with your parking space.(You’ll have to watch the show to hear his great explanation for this one!)

But, Seinfeld was just one of several celebrities featured. Reiner also invited his buddies Mel Brooks and Norman Lear to join the fun, along with Betty White, Kirk Douglas, Tony Bennett, Dick Van Dyke and Iris Apfel.

Apfel, a 96-year-old fashion icon, advised everyone to get off the “anti-aging” train, and simply “Take advantage of being alive.”

Reiner shared his belief that “Vitality means you can do whatever you want regardless of what the clock says.”

And, 92-year-old Van Dyke, who appeared with his 46-year-old wife, Arlene, emphasized that “New experiences are the only things you can collect in life that are worth it.” Another one of his mottos is “Keep moving,” which is also part of the title of his latest book, “Keep Moving: And Other Tips and Truths About Aging.”

Towards the end of the show, Van Dyke surprised his singer wife with a recording session at Capitol Records, in the same studio where Frank Sinatra recorded!

As I sat there enjoying the music, I saw a familiar face among the musicians, and I thought, ‘Is that Terry Wollman on guitar in the studio?’ When the camera focused back on him, I realized it was in fact Wollman. Not only that, as they panned across the room full of musicians, I spotted Nathan East on the upright bass; then Eric Marienthal on sax; and suddenly, Bill Cantos at the piano! As Van Dyke and Arlene began singing their duet, more shots of the studio revealed that Tom Scott was in the horn section, and Dave Grusin was now seated at the piano.

After seeing this, I messaged Wollman about the project. Here is his response: “I had the pleasure of producing Alan Bergman with Dave Grusin performing their original song ‘Just Getting Started’ (co-written with Marilyn Bergman), producing and arranging Dick Van Dyke with Arlene Van Dyke singing ‘Young At Heart,’ and co-producing with Dae Bennett the legendary Tony Bennett performing ‘The Best Is Yet To Come.'”

What an incredible way to cap off a tough work week!

I hope you have a chance to check it out. It’s now streaming on HBO. Here’s the link:

www.hbo.com/document…/if-youre-not-in-the-obit-eat-breakfast