Jeff Bridges' great cancer news was tempered by Capitol riot - Los Angeles Times
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Jeff Bridges got great news about his cancer battle — but the timing wasn’t so great

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Jeff Bridges’ fight against cancer is looking up, man, even as his view of the country took a dark turn.

The “Big Lebowski” actor and Oscar-winning “Crazy Heart” star had a good news/bad news day after a trip to the doctor a week ago Wednesday.

“January 6 — I go in for a CAT scan to see if my new protocol is shrinking my tumor. Turns out it’s working beautifully. The thing has drastically shrunk. I come home elated with the news,” Bridges wrote Wednesday evening in the “Latest” section of his personal blog, which is filled with handwritten messages, photos, videos and Easter egg-style links.

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Terrific, right? He announced back on Oct. 19 that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma but was keeping a positive attitude.

“Did that very ignorant b— baby just put out that video calling those terrorists ‘very special’?” tweeted producer Shonda Rhimes after President Trump’s speech.

Jan. 6, 2021

“Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good. I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery,” he tweeted at the time.

But Jan. 6 was a different kind of day.

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“I turn on the TV to find out what’s happening in the world and ... well ... I don’t have to tell you what’s goin’ on,” wrote Bridges. “To see our country attacking itself broke my heart.

“A question rose in me — what’s an individual to do in a situation like this? My mentor, Rozzell Sykes, came to mind. His mantra was BE LOVE. Aaaa ... yeah ... that’s my path.”

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Sykes — an artist who founded St. Elmo Village, a Black artists’ hub with a history of activism, near Venice and La Brea boulevards in 1969 — died in 1994. The property, with its 10 bungalows and high-profile supporters, including then-future Mayor Tom Bradley, became a nonprofit in 1971.

On his website, Bridges, who remains bald and is undergoing treatment, embedded a video showing what goes on at the village where, he said, “We did our hangin’.”

Sykes’ message of love was in line with the platform of Marianne Williamson, whom Bridges supported in the 2020 presidential primaries. As she wrote on her campaign website: “Where fear has been harnessed for political purposes, our task is to harness love.”

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