another chance, another start, so many dreams to tease the heart...

Patti tells me that this will be the perfect year. I really do believe her (although she said that last year, also)... Happy 2011 everyone!!

me too!

Bring on 2011 - I am already done with 2010.

black swan

Think ballet is all about frilly pink tutus and pretty satin toe shoes?

The thriller Black Swan shows us that not everything is beautiful at the ballet (which I could have told you for free, incidentally.). The movie is about an up and coming ballet star Nina (Natalie Portman, in full fierce bunhead mode) who has finally been given a starring role - the Swan Queen in a new production of Swan Lake. She is a natural for the White Swan, but can she play the darker, more sensual Black Swan?

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a happy little "a star is born" ballet story. It's a deeply creepy psychological exploration of Nina's increasingly paranoid emotions. As she strives to perfection in the dual Swan role, she feels the heat of competition, with other dancers trying to make it to the top. It's a cutthroat world, you know? Prima Ballerina, Beth, (great cameo by Winona Ryder) has just been pushed into retirement due to her old age. Ballet is a young person's art - although I watched a great profile on NYCB Ballerina Darci Kistle this morning - she just retired from professional dancing with the company - at the age of 46.

Nina grows more and more paranoid by the second, driven to the brink by the arrival of a new dancer Lily (Mila Kunis!! Doing awesomely in her post That 70s Show life! Goooo, Mila!!) who Nina thinks, of course, is out to get her. Incidentally, both of them did a lot of their own dancing, and it works very well. Rodarte designed the tutus, and they are truly fabulous.

Don't sit too close though or the camera action might make you spew. Other than that, totally go and see it.

see how we've decked our halls...

...the angel on top of our tree...

Mainly, our tree includes angels, snowmen, and white cats. The big one at the bottom, aka "Goliath" is the first one we got, from sometime in the 1980s,

There is also the occasional sports themed ornament - we have da Bears, da Hawks and uh, one of Troy Aikman (for a brief time, in high school, I was a Cowboys fan. Although it was mainly to bug Angelo.)New Hawks ornament!!!!
"Why didju put dis bow onna head, ziztur?"

(shortly after I took this picture, she attacked the bow).

the greatest gifts...

A beautiful Christmas tree, a hot cup of tea on a cold, snowy morning, eating cheese with beloved friends, spending time with family, and of course, a puppy in a box (what more could you want?)
I hope everyone has a great Christmas and that you all got wonderful presents and are spending time with family and friends, like I am.

merry christmas!!

Merry Christmas, Darlings, from me

(and Andrew Jackson...)

pillow talk (no, really)

Can I share something with y'all? I.am.getting.old. And as an old person, I have become rather Set in My Ways. I'm basically a creature of habit, (despite by current bout of unemployment). I like things a certain way and if they aren't that way, then it Bugs me.

Case in point. Over the past several weeks, I have noticed some weird little puffy balls of fluff by the side of my bed. Upon close investigation, I discovered that they were coming from my pillows. From the gaping holes in the corners of my pillows, to be exact. I've had these pillows, oh, I would say at least since college (which was, yikes, 10 years ago!). They are Martha Stewart brand "Grandpa" bed pillows and I have two of them and I love them.

Now they are hemorrhaging cotton fluff, and I am faced with an immense dilemma: buying new pillows. Is it me, or did this used to be easier? You walk in, grab a bed pillow, pay for the pillow, go home, throw it on the bed, and you are cooking with gas, or more accurately, off to sleepy land with awesome new pillows. Right?

But now, you walk in, and there are all kinds of choices. There are pillows for side, back and stomach sleepers. They can be down filled or cotton fluff filled, or allergy safe, alternative whatever filled. They can be square or rectangular or full body sized. There are medium support, firm support or extra firm support.

I mean, really?? I have trouble making decisions on a regular basis anyway, but give me so many choices and it's like, impossible. Especially given the fact that this decision is so vitally important to my achieving a really good night's sleep. I love to sleep, and everything has to be just right - I have been known to get out of bed in the middle of the night and remake the bed because the covers have gone all bunchy and weird. I put my beloved pillows in the dryer every night so that they are perfect and puffy. I don't like squashy pillows. A little OCD? Perhaps. But like I said, I've become Set in My Ways.

I bought two new pillows. The first came from Target. It's an extra firm support and it is quilted (which gave me some worry, initially, because I thought I might wake up with quilt marks on my face?). Verdict? A bit bouncy but possibly workable.

The second is a Sealy, which I bought because they make mattresses, and should therefore know their shit vis-a-vis a comfortable sleeping experience. It's an extra firm with a gusset (wtf is with these pillow gussets anyway?) and this thing? Is like a rock. No way, no day.

So I am still on the quest for new pillows. The thing is, it's hard to know what they feel like until you're in your regular sleeping position, testing the thing out. Resting your head on it in the store is not the same thing. So I am afraid to get any others in case I don't like them. In the meantime, I've fixed the holes in my existing pillows (the Grandpa pillow, needless to say, has been discontinued) and will continue using them until they are nothing but cotton fluff balls.

Wish me luck!

did i tell you about the ferris wheel?

People! The Toys R Us in Times Square has a ferris wheel. Like, inside.

My mind? Totally blown. (And no, I didn't ride on it. But I was tempted.And yes, I am very easily impressed.)

women on the verge of a nervous breakdown...

What is a girl to do? Poor Pepa, she gets ditched by her man, Ivan, via answering machine and then stalked by his crazy ex-wife. And just when her day couldn't get any worse, she finds out she's pregnant AND her ditzy model best friend is frantic because she thinks the guy she's been seeing is actually a terrorist. The feminist lawyer Pepa tries to hire for her friend is actually having an affair - with Ivan! People (including Ivan's grown son and his uptight fiancee) come to see her gorgeous apartment and it's in such a state - the phone's ripped out and she accidentally set her bed on fire. Lucky for Pepa, she can find the Mambo cab at a moment's notice - anything you need, the friendly cabbie has it on hand (pictures of kittens! pictures of kittens!) and she's made up a killer batch of gazpacho.

And so goes Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, a spicy blend of interesting and exotic ingredients, as tangy and cool as Pepa's gazpacho.The digital backdrop brought Madrid to life in vivid color, moving as quickly as life in that vibrant city. There was a lot going on, yes, but I liked it. I'd been nervous, too, because of the reviews, but it was a fun show. This only goes to show - reviewers are usually full of crap. There have been many times when a film or theater critic has totally panned something that I've loved. Your "dreckitude" might be my treasure. You never know.

The cast was all outstanding - how could you put Sherie Rene Scott, Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Laura Benanti into a show and not get magical performances?

So please don't listen to the critics - go see this one too, if you have the chance. It's light and frothy fun. Maybe it could have benefitted from an out of town try out, but whatever. The score is good and it's a funny and enjoyable evening at the theater.

I'm Andrew !@#&$^ Jackson!

I don't know why I'd heard of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - I get email on a regular basis from the Public Theater, and it seemed to enjoy a good off-broadway run. When it made the move to Broadway, it started getting Buzz. But then I saw an ad in Time Out New York (which I am still getting! I love you, TONY!)

And I mean, really? I for one am totally in favor of history getting all sexypants.It was my major after all, and how could I say no to an emo-rock musical about our 7th President? I would totally have a beer with AJ (and I don't even drink beer!) and his tight, tight jeans.

The scene is set the second you step into the theater - it's bathed in red light, and moody rock music is blaring out of the speakers. And then our frontier hero emerges and commences to rock. I'm telling you, I was hooked the second the show started. It was fast, funny, and relevant. Told entirely in 2010 vernacular, we followed Andrew Jackson's progress with the assistance of a storyteller - until he shoots her in the neck, growling "I'll take it from here!" Ooooh, yeah, he's SO that guy!

Some of my favorite moments - "meanwhile back in Washington..." introducing the power players: John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams ("If my father got to be the president, I should be president too!" and who later exclaimed, upon being "elected" president "I'm SO EXCITED! I never win ANYTHING!"), Van Buren ("damn it, VanBuren! Why do you have to be such a motherfucker??") and all of the others came dancing out to a Spice Girls song... One of them (maybe JQA or Van Buren?) exclaimed "How laissez un-fair!" Oh, my history geek heart was a-flutter. I remember learning about all of these guys in Mr. Daiberl's class! We had to identify pictures of John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay. I wonder how he'd react to the line in the show that James Monroe was a "douchebag"....

When the election of 1824 got stolen from Jackson (winner of the popular vote but not the electoral, I think?) he sat downstage, looking dejected, and the following came blasting out... "You're standing on the edge of nowhere.... there's only one way out, and your heart's gotta go there..." Yep, it was Cher's "Song for the Lonely" which played, disco ball and all as time passed and Andrew Jackson geared up for his 1828 campaign. You gotta love a show that invokes the Cher.

Jackson won the election with flying colors, becoming the first "People's President." He pledged to be the voice of the people, who rallied around him and voted for him because of his awesome tight jeans and because they'd totally have a beer with him, you know?

But it's hard, right, because the people don't actually know what they want (Just look at Dancing with the Stars. I mean, Bristol Palin? In the final? Really? I liked the girl, I did! She seemed like a really nice person. And major snaps to her for her growth as a dancer. That shit is hard! But still. The final? Really?) and Jackson realized that he couldn't just be Best Friend in Chief - he had to make the hard decisions himself - about the National Bank (a weird factoid just popped into my head about Jackson and the gold standard...) and the Indians and all the rest of it. He'd lost his wife (she died of grief, which as the show points out, is "the kind of shit that happened in the 19th century") and dedicated his life to serving the people (Populism, yeah, yeah!). Major bummer, dude. Is he still that guy?

The show ends reflecting on Jackson's legacy - with terror at home, unstable borders, the rich in charge and the working class suffering (sound familiar?), this Jackson thought of himself as a hero, doing what had to be done on behalf of the country. And on that score, you know, he did awesome - he doubled the size of the country, kicked out the English and French and the Spanish and solved the "Indian Problem." Yeah, Jackson really put the "Man" in "Manifest Destiny." But, the storyteller, back as an angel, points out that there are some who'd argue that Jackson was actually something of an American Hitler, taking drastic measures against the native population. I didn't really think about Jackson's legacy much one way or another. They certainly don't tell you all the good stuff in school (like the whole Jackson marrying someone who was already married thing. Wouldn't you have paid more attention in history class if you were learning stuff like that??)

But anyway, I loved it. I recommend it and would see it again and again. If you're in New York, go and see it. If you're not in New York, go there and see it. Stay at the Belleclaire - no bugs!

I left, happy, splashing through Times Square in the rain, singing the song "The Battle of New Orleans" - all together now! "In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Col. Jackson down the mighty Mississip..."

so nice they named it twice...

So, there is a lot of stuff going on for me, personally, I don't really want to get into it right now. But I realize I didn't say ANYTHING about my trip to NYC a few weeks ago, and since thinking New York makes me ridiculously happy, and happy has been hard to come by this past week, I am going to talk about my trip.

I had been nervous to go, because of all of the news out of NYC having to do with the bedbug "epidemic". Because look - suddenly these things weren't just in hotels anymore. They were in stores, in movie theaters, in all kinds of public places. All I do in NYC is eat and sleep and shop and go to shows. Very much risk for picking up unwanted guests with these activities, yes?? I was scared to death of going to a hotel and getting bitten by creepy crawlies when I slept, and I was absolutely TERRIFIED of unknowingly bringing these critters home with me. DISASTER! Being me, my head went into Worst Case Scenario Mode and it made me crazy. No matter that I had been there in June and we'd been FINE (I didn't know. But still). I dithered for ages, trying to make up my mind. But what the hell? I finally decided that I couldn't just sit around and seal myself up over something that might or might not happen. You've gotta live your life, am I right?

So I found myself buying theater tickets. Booking a flight. Reserving a hotel. Canceling said hotel when I saw a Trip Advisor report of the Bugs. Booking another hotel. And then suddenly it was Tuesday, November 16 and I was at O'Hare! Honestly, at that point, I figured that a bout with bed bugs might actually be BETTER than all of the crap I was dealing with at work.

It was the easiest flight I've ever taken - checked my bag curbside, went through security in about 2 seconds (no full body scan) boarded, took off, yada yada yada, landed at LaGuardia, bag was waiting for me when I got to baggage claim, got on a cab, off I went.

I cannot say enough about the hotel I chose - the Hotel Belleclaire (77th and Broadway). I found it online, booked it because it was bedbug free (!) and had a great stay there. Everyone was so warm and friendly, it was ideally located (right across from the Manhattan Diner!) my room was clean and quiet and blessedly bug free (I checked). I hate elevators, so I never took it - I was on the 3rd floor and so it was easy for me to climb them up and down.

I went to the Shake Shack for lunch - I got the New York dog - without reading the menu. I had no idea New Yorkers put sauerkraut on their hot dogs! What's up with that NYC? Shoulda gotten the "Shack-cago" dog. Even though I don't eat them that way either (and I freaking live here!).

And then I walked. I bought an umbrella at Duane Reade, and then I just started walking. I thought that the city might have changed somehow, with all of this bug stuff. I don't know what all I thought I'd see - buildings with Scarlet B's on them? People furtively itching as they made their way down the streets and on the subway trains? But it was exactly the same as it always was - crowded and chaotic and inviting. I love the feel of New York City. Without a whole lot of effort, I can see myself living there.

So I walked to Lincoln Center and visited the Metropolitan Opera. Alas, no opera on this trip, but I paid my respects to the gift shop. It started raining and so I grabbed the train to Times Square. Oy, Times Square. It's one of those places that you totally have to see, but once you've seen it, it just becomes a massive pain in the ass to deal with. I actually try to avoid it as much as possible, which is difficult, since all of the theaters are right in that area. I had a show at 7:00 (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, for those of you keeping score at home) but until then, the afternoon was mine and I wandered happily. I ended up in Bryant Park - there's a little holiday craft thing there, little kiosks selling ornaments, knit goods, other gifty type things. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to just look. I continued wandering, and looking for a place to grab dinner. It was WAY early for dinner, but I stopped at a little Italian place (right near the Belasco Theater, which I found accidentally) and had some delicious lentil soup and a caesar salad. There was a tv playing over the bar, where I was sitting, first it was a soccer game. Then the owners (maybe?), gabbing in Italian, changed the channel - so they could watch the Barefoot Contessa. She was doing something holiday related and the owners were joined by the servers in watching the BC prepare a herb sauce for chicken or turkey or something. That? Was hilarious.

I was early (but what else is new?) so I picked up all of my show tickets, trawled Shubert Alley and spent a whole bunch of time hovering outside of BBAJ.

More on the show later....

Rock Star - BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON

This show is amazing. My inner history geek was jumping up and down going squee!

your bulldog smile for the day...

start spreading the news...

I'm going to New York in about a week in honor of my thirty-something-eth birthday. Huh, that sounds a bit clunky. Let's just call it 29th and be done, yes? Naturally, I have packed my three days full of shows:

- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown: I have tickets for this and am excited for it, despite the rather disappointing reviews it's been getting.

- A Life in the Theatre: Patrick Stewart + TR Knight + David Mamet = theatrical awesomeness. A no-brainer

- Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson: I still need to get my ticket for this one, but how could I resist a show whose ads blare the slogan "History just got all sexypants"??

Am also debating wedging in a matinee of A Little Night Music but I guess we'll see...

earth to everyone....

It's almost Friday... It's almost Friday... It's almost Friday...
But until then, let's watch Alexander Skarsgard's deleted scene from Zoolander.
Exsqueeze me?

cake boss

I had the strangest dream last night and wanted to share. I was doing something ordinary, like brushing my hair or something, when my mom came in the room and told me "Patti is here."
And I asked "Patti who?" since I don't have friends with that name (only one, notable Diva Obsession). And yes, it was her. In a car. In my driveway. So I went out, wearing my grey velour track suit from old navy (yes, I remember what I was wearing). Apparently, I was in some sort of contest, dealing with her and she was a judge. She wanted to know if she could see "the cake". I have no idea why there was a cake, and I guess in the dream I didn't know there was supposed to be one, so I told her it wasn't ready yet. So she says to me something like "So I won't have final approval on it, then?" And I told her that I could take a picture of it for her so she could see it. Then I invited her in (naturally, can't leave the Diva hanging out in the driveway.) we chatted some more and then she left and I had to figure out what the hell to do regarding this cake.

I woke up before I saw the cake, and before I knew if it met with the Diva's preferences. I remember wondering about flavor. Red velvet? Chocolate? Vanilla? And also, what? Suddenly she's the Cake Boss now?

Finishing the Hat

Yesterday, I started reading "Finishing the Hat" by Stephen Sondheim. This is the first of two volumes of his lyrics and backstory writing and creating each. I started just paging through it, reading through Gypsy, Company, A Little Night Music, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd...

The man is so intelligent, his use of language is amazing(God! The man is God!) and the stories he has in this book are just amazing little pieces of musical theater history. How he surprised Cole Porter with a lyric in "Together Wherever We Go" and how Jerome Robbins wondered "Everything's Coming Up Rose's WHAT?" how "Rose's Turn" grew out of a "dream ballet" concept by Robbins, which he didn't have time to create - absolutely incredible. He also wrote a sidebar, which I found fascinating, about the way that he writes - stretched out on his bed, with a ruled legal pad (with 32 lines, no more, no less) and a very particular kind of pencil.

This morning, I listened to some of these, just to hear the words and the music. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the book.

illinois state dress...

Found this online: Robin Barcus Slonina is an installation and performance artist working on an ongoing project called "States of Dress." She has been touring the country constructing and modeling her unique dress sculpture in hopes to do one for all 50 states. Take a look at some of her recent creations, and see how they're made on her blog, StateofDress.blogspot.com.

This is the Illinois dress, which was apparently made from 28 dresses purchased from thrift stores in Chicago.

blow, gabriel, blow...

Let's start the morning with a little deconstruction, shall we?

we've got "a situation"

So. Despite evidence to the contrary, given how I like to prattle away about tv etc on this blog, I am actually not very into "reality" tv. America's Next Top Model and American Idol (although not this season. JLO? Hell NO!)are about it. I don't watch Survivor, the Amazing Race, The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, or any of those network shows. Needless to say, I don't watch any of the trashy cable ones either (I don't have cable. So it is possible I COULD be sitting around watching "Rock of Love" or whatever if I had the means, motive and opportunity.)

If this is the case, there should be absolutely no reason why I should know about Mike "the Situation" Sorrentino, and "Snooki" and Sammi "Sweetheart" and any of those other guidos/guidettes who hang around on Jersey Shore. Mind you, I don't know what they actually DO on Jersey Shore, but whatever.

Yet here we are. (I don't live under a rock after all!)

Anyway - the Situation is on Dancing with the Stars. When I heard the cast line up I was like "WHAT?" I mean, half of the cast on that show are NOT STARS (Bristol Palin! Arrrghhh!)

But - you want to know a secret?? I kind of LIKE the Situation. No, he can't really dance. But he seems to be trying and he's kind of cute and hilarious, so.... my mom and I cast our first votes of the season... and we voted for him and Karina. Yes, it is true. Don't judge me.

Also? I thought I would hate Bristol, too, but I don't. She, too, seems to be trying and doing really well, for someone who's never danced before. All of last year's flash mob business taught me how hard it is to learn a routine.

Before you all go calling emergency services to check my sanity levels (laughable, by the way), don't worry. I didn't suddenly turn into a republican. We didn't cast any votes for Bristol.

One more thing - Florence Henderson, you are not fooling anybody! I saw you on Seth's video of the Brady Bunch Variety show or whatever the heck it was called! You can dance, girl!

a new argentina...

Seth's deconstruction of this moment put this danged song in my head for the rest of the weekend! Thanks a lot!

A-mah-zing? A-mah-zing!

Saturday night, I brought mom to see Seth Rudetsky's Deconstructing Broadway at a very small and obscure theater space in Highland Park. Let me say right here that my mom is usually up for pretty much anything, and is typically willing to come along when I say things like "I'm getting tickets for (fill in the blank)! Mark your calendar!" The exception to this, when mom puts her foot down with a firm hand (tip of the hat to YOOOOUUU, Louise Rennison!) is German Opera (unless of course Renee or Bryn are involved) after the massive suckfest that was Lyric's Die Frau withoutzen einen shadow. I've dragged her along to see Patti (on many occasion), Audra McDonald, Kelli O'Hara, Betty Buckley, most recently Sutton Foster, etc etc etc and she's loved all of them. So thanks, mom!

Back to Seth. This teeny tiny theater space was so ill-lit and unmarked that we drove right by it. Damn, downtown Highland Park is DARK in the evenings! We drove right by it and went on for a while, trying to find an address on one of the buildings. We turned around, and I saw a (small) sign with Seth's face on it. Sometimes it is a good thing to be reallyreallyreally early, as I tend to be. It was a totally random crowd - mainly (older) North Shore Types who all seemed to know each other? The people who sat in front of us were greeted, no joke, by practically every person who came in. The space was small - it sat (maybe?) 100 people. They advertised their next show - some You Tube "sensation" that I'd never heard of before, and had no idea why anyone would pay good money to see her? She looked awful. Is there something I am not getting? The rest of the audience was in stitches over the preview of her "show".

Anyway, I had seen Seth do his deconstructions on You Tube, and I also read his Playbill columns almost religiously. On a whim during a trip to NYC a few years ago, I picked up his novel "Broadway Nights" - so I was looking forward to seeing him do his thing live. I didn't quite know how to explain the show to my mom or really to anyone else before seeing it. Now that we've seen it, I will do my best to elaborate. Deconstruct the deconstructions, as it were.

Seth is a musician and an actor and a lover of all things broadway. He's interviewed all the broadway stars on his sirius xm radio show, and has worked with a bunch of them too, so he's got amazing stories. He explained to us what "belting" is, and how singers use their head and chest voices. He demonstrates, with the use of recordings and videos, with hilarious results. In the show, he compared Patti singing a phrase of "Rainbow High" (A-mah-zing!) from Evita with Madonna from the movie (also A-mah-zing in a total trainwreck can't look away kind of way), singing the same phrase (specifically: "I'm their SAVIOR, that's what they call me..."), some of the Brady Bunch variety hour (HA!), Cher singing West Side Story (OMG, that was on TV??), Aretha Franklin giving some funk to "I dreamed a dream" from Les Mis (for real!), lessons on riffing, psychic deconstructing, and the final lesson, AP Deconstructing. The biggest laugh of the night went to an audience member for mispronouncing the word chutzpah. Seth looked shocked and and said something like "You're in Highland Park and you don't know how to pronounce this word?!" Good thing the audience was friendly, or else poor Gary the Audience Member would have been left to the same fate as the poor von trapp kid who hit a clam on the "La" syllable (Seth's guess was that the rest of the cast was so mad at his awful singing that they all converged on him and ate him).

I (rather geekishly) brought my copy of Broadway Nights with me and had the chance to ask Seth to sign it after the show. Hooray!

the diva dishes

From Entertainment Weekly... Oh, Patti, I am still eating this dish up with a SPOON! (And no, I am not on her payroll!*)

Some highlights from the article:

Don’t cry for Patti LuPone. Broadway’s original Evita is back on stage this fall and belting out stories about her long, tumultuous career in a juicy new memior. Note to Andrew Lloyd Weber: Take cover.

LuPone on when Andrew Lloyd Webber—the composer producer who made her a star in Evita—publicly fired her in favor of Glenn Close: “Do I think Glenn Close was complicit in what happened to me? But what I do know is that from the time she was announced, I never heard from her.”

Even 15 years later, she’s still sour on Sir Andrew: “I’m never going to work with him again. It was a cruel experience.”

On her reputation as a diva preceding her: “It’s been since Evita, so it’s been—what?—30 odd years? But they want you to be a bitch.”

On her famously demanding backstage behavior: “I never asked them to change the color of my wig or to kiss and wash my feet. I was always just asking for the things we needed to help us get on stage. It’s always been about the show.”
On David Mamet: “There’s a danger to his work. I love that moment where I can say, ‘I’m here—not in a play.’”

Looking back: “It’s been a hard career, it’s been a phenomenal career. It’s been incredibly interesting, it’s been incredibly difficult. As David Mamet once said, the universe is unfolding as it should.”

* Patti! I will totally be on your payroll!! Call me! ;)

broadway deconstructed

Tomorrow night:

DECONSTRUCTING BROADWAY
COMES TO CHICAGO
Seth Rudetsky's bringing his own private video and audio collection to show you how to differentiate between what’s vocally amazing (Patti LuPone in EVITA) and what’s a vocal travesty (Madonna singing the same material). Gavin Creel, Betty Buckley, The Mamas and the Papas, Carly Simon, The Pajama Game, Melba Moore…ALL will be deconstructed. Video highlights (lowlights?) include the mercifully short-lived BRADY BUNCH VARIETY HOUR and Cher singing all the roles in WEST SIDE STORY. Believe or not, you’ll see it!


Friday Oct 8th and Saturday Oct 9th (sold out!) at 8PM
The Music Theatre Company Space
1850 Green Bay Road
Highland Park, IL 60035

I am a big fan of Seth and all his works (Playbill, Sirius XM radio, the really awesome Tony's opening number he wrote that included Rosie O'Donnell, Betty Buckley, Patti LuPone and Jennifer Holliday, etc etc) and so I am looking forward to seeing this, even though I have NO IDEA where "The Music Theatre Company Space" happens to be.

does she live in a pineapple under the sea?

No silly! She's in a Top Model photo shoot! This incredibly fierce shot of Ann (best picture. Four.Weeks.In.A.Row. Can we say unstoppable? Modelicious? FIERCE? "Sooooo Italian Vogue"?) was taken by Matthew Rolston in an inspired Mermaid-themed shoot. Stunning!

Patti LuPone on the Verge of Another Opening

Patti LuPone on the Verge of Another Opening

The Diva Tells it Like It Is in the pages of Time Magazine (and also this week's Entertainment Weekly with the Social Network cover).

Love it!

wherefore art thou, gnomio?

Gnomio & Juliet. Hahahahahaha.
This.Looks.Awesome!!

at least the week is almost over!

I get a "Dogma" every day from Zelda - that adorable bulldog face always makes me smile (even when she has a wig on)...

if that's what you're into...

I follow Broadway news, so I'd heard of Sutton Foster - I remembered watching her on the Tony's in the Drowsy Chaperone. But I was really familiar with her because of her stint as Coco, Brett's sign carrying girlfriend on Flight of the Conchords:

Sutton Foster at Chicago's Broadway Playhouse

The former Drury Lane Theater at Water Tower Place has been transformed to the new Broadway Playhouse. The lobby was a little bit meh - it used to be all plush and gilded, now it looks kinda like an information center - very stark and cold - like the moderately nicer looking stepchild of the (ugly) Harris Theater lobby. Wide open space, with black and white cheering audience people displayed along the walls. Well, huh.

Inside, it is really cute, a little jewel box of a theater, but with those same eerie black and white cheering audience people along the sides of the walls in there too. We were in row K, smack in the center. I'd been looking forward to seeing Sutton Foster perform there since I had heard about her concert (way back in the spring) - and she did not disappoint. The stage was simply set - panels of fabric along the back, groupings of square light fixtures on either side of the stage. Ms. Foster was introduced with a flourish ("Please welcome to the stage... Suttoooonnnn Foooossstteerrr!!") - she came out and started belting up a storm. She was absolutely charm itself - pausing between songs to chat with the audience - mentioning that most of the songs she would be singing came from her cd - and she then handed a copy to someone in the front row. She brought one of her Tonys to visit Chicago, she took video of us all in the audience waving and yelling "Hi from Chicago!"

She sang a lovely variety of songs - John Denver's "Sunshine" a few from Duke Ellington, and of course, songs from Broadway - cut songs from Thoroughly Modern Millie and Shrek, and also "Anyone Can Whistle" and "Being Alive" (someone in the audience exclaimed how much they loved Anyone Can Whistle - then asked "What show is that from?")

And, to introduce some variety and randomness into the proceedings, Ms. Foster put five songs on slips of paper into a cup (it said "HO" on it. Its mate said "PIMP") and had someone from the audience pull a song out for her to sing. Our choices were Meadowlark, Defying Gravity, some other ones I am not recalling at the moment, and "And I am Telling You" from Dreamgirls - which is the one she sang. She blew the roof off of that little place!

A fabulous inauguration to the new Broadway Playhouse. I am sure I will get used to the new decor...

final thought for friday...

And that thought? Is {SWOON}!!!

I'll see y'all later with a full report on our event AND on my Sutton Foster experience on Sunday. In the meantime, feast your eyes.... True Blood is done until June, but we can admire our fave Viking Vampire year round...

The Girl Who Fixed the Umlaut: newyorker.com

We're in Sweden! I need my umlaut!!

The Girl Who Fixed the Umlaut: newyorker.com

one fierce party!

Sometimes, in the course of my job, I get to do some fun stuff. Tonight, for instance, is Couture & Cocktails, a fashionable fundraiser for the company - it's at the W Hotel, and there will be a runway fashion show featuring designer Carmen Marc Valvo's couture collection, dancing and delicious food!

I had never heard of CMV before, but just this morning, I learned that a certain Sicilian Diva wore one of his dresses to her recent book launching party in NYC! Talk about FIERCE!!

(Do y'all know Terrence McNally's play "The Lisbon Traviata"? One of the main character is trying to track down a rare, pirate recording of Maria Callas's legendary performance of Verdi's La Traviata in - wait for it - Lisbon. This post made me think of it, because this character comments that he can bring just about every conversation around to Maria Callas. I can sometimes do the same thing with Ms. Patti over here.... CMV has outfitted other famous people as well, but I'd not heard of him before. Now suddenly he's everywhere!)

Thoroughly talented Sutton :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Hedy Weiss

Yay, Sutton Foster! Am looking forward to seeing her on Sunday!

Thoroughly talented Sutton :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Hedy Weiss

monday already?

Every week, I find myself asking the same question: where did my weekend go?? Why are they always so short??

This weekend, I was laying (or possibly lying? I never know which one is right) pretty low. Here's why. Friday morning, I'm walking from CUS to the office, thinking of nothing in particular when a bug flies into my mouth. I could feel it whap up against the back of my throat (EW! EW! EW! GROSS!) - I don't know whether it flew back out again or if I in fact swallowed it. There was some ugly coughing and gagging happening and also a whole lot of spittle. TMI? Sorry, I'll stop.

All day I felt like that little bugger was still in my throat. I drowned it with water, tea, everything I could think of, and I spent the whole day completely grossed out. Since I am a hypochondriac and a drama queen, this was possibly the worst thing that could have happened to me. Like, ever. WebMD told me not to worry, but I was building up extraordinary scenarios in my mind. All of this stressing naturally upset my stomach, oh, and on top of everything - I had a review with my boss at 11:30 in the morning. That went well, though.

Friday night was not pretty, I was so, so freaked out and worried and felt like something was stuck in my throat. Clearly, I was a goner for sure. But I had to stay alive for Saturday, since I had been looking forward to it for so long - it was the day of the LILL Studio 1154 SAMPLE SALE. If you don't know the LILL Studio, go and check them out. You can create your own custom handbags there!!! You can do it online, or visit their shop in Lincoln Park (Halsted and Armitage). Their shop is little but amazing - filled with fabrics in the most stunning colors, and adorable, adorable bags. Since they are custom made, they are not cheap. But at the sample sale? Scads of adorable bags at 50% - 80% off. We've been going to the sale for maybe 3 years and we always come home happy.

Saturday morning my throat was really sore, but I had no fever and I decided that I might as well go to the sale. I could go to the doctor afterwards, if I needed to, right? These cute bags? Would not be on sale forever. So off we went. The warehouse is on Ashland and is in this crazy hard to get to area. We left my house at 7:15 Am and got there before 8, but there was already a HUGE line outside the door of the warehouse.

Inside, there are racks and tables set up with all the pretty bags - they also sell off bolts of fabric, pillows, wallets, all kinds of stuff. What happens is this - people patrol the racks and grab anything they see that they like. You will walk around this room with your arms loaded down with handbags. When you are not able to feel your arms, or when you start knocking people down with all the stuff you're holding, you take your haul off to the side and start sorting through it. It is helpful to have someone with you to do this - only a real friend can tell you that you don't really need four bags of the same style, or that you will never, ever carry a little tiny clutch purse or, you know, whatever. During this process, the buzzards start circling - they sort through your discard pile (and you sort through theirs) and as things are discarded, the racks are replenished, and you circle again and again, to see what's been put back. We were there for about 2 hours, and the decision process continued while we were in line to check out. People kept putting stuff back, you see. I changed my mind several times - and there was a particular heartbreak. I'd been carrying around a gorgeous bag, in a style I love - it was a tapestry fabric, with great fall colors, oranges, greens and blues, the strap was denim, the inside was denim, I was in serious LURVE with this thing. Then I opened it - there was no inside pocket. Does not sound like a big deal, right? But I carry this particular style as a work bag. I keep my train ticket and parking money in the inner pocket so it doesn't all rattle around in there and so I can lay hands on it without any problems. It broke my heart, but I put the lovely back and found one in the same style that did have an inner pocket - I may have been dazzled by the fact that the bag was on sale, but it was still over 70 bucks and it's stupid to buy something that won't do what I need it to do.

I bought several bags and spent way too much. I didn't feel bad though because: A) I am doing my part for the economy! And small businesses! and also B) I SWALLOWED A BUG on Friday, and I deserve something pretty.

For the record? I slept in on Sunday and woke up feeling mostly okay. My throat is better and although I am having some nasal congestion, I am blaming that on my allergies.

sequins & lies **

Let's get something clear right now, and this should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever read my blog, or in fact, actually met me. I am a fan of Ms. Patti LuPone. Everyone knows it, even some of my coworkers who have no reason to know things about me know it. Love, love, love Patti. OK? So, I'm going to talk about her book, and, full disclosure, if you're looking for a review that's "objective" or "insightful" or that which you might find in the New York Times (or wherever you might find a professional book review) you ain't gonna find it here. Right, so you've been warned.

I first saw Patti perform in 2006, when my Divas 101 teachers (you know who you are) took me to see Sweeney Todd. It was a must see, not to be missed performance. I had been aware of Patti much earlier. I used to sing "Don't cry for me, Argentina" to my stuffed animals as a kid (no joke). But this was the first time I'd seen her live and I was hooked. We were all the way up in the balcony and I remember turning to Sarah at intermission, wide-eyed and asking her if we could go to the stage door after the show to meet Patti. She asked me "Do you want to meet Patti?" and all I could do was nod. I was too in awe of her (and her reputation) to say much of anything to her at the stage door (my old mute tomato routine kicking in, as usual) but she was incredibly sweet, and laughed when Sarah told her that she'd brought her "some virgins" to see the show. I saw Sweeney Todd several other times, after that, and was lucky enough to see the closing night performance, which was an experience I have never had before or since in the theater. I've always loved theater, and was taken to shows as a kid. In all that time, I never knew that there could be an experience, a connection between me, the audience member, and the actors on stage. Sweeney Todd blasted down the 4th wall and all of the actors connected, really connected, with the audience, taking us with them deep into the story. I was used to being entertained at, with big productions like Cats, Les Mis, POTO. It was a fun time, and the music was nice, but there was no connection. I never knew that going to the theater could be that way, that you could share an intimate moment with the actors and with 1,000 fellow audience members. That night was incredible and Patti herself had a lot to do with that.

So that's me. Onto the book. For anyone who thinks that life in the arts is exciting and wonderful fun, I can just tell you, think again. Sure, there's the glitz and glamor, opening nights, and big parties, jetting around the world, performing on stage, in movies and on tv if you're lucky, and all of the trappings of fame. But there's also lows to go with all of those highs. Lies, backstabbing, bad reviews, 8 shows a week! to ungrateful, eating and texting audiences! Every actor, dancer, singer, stage manager, even down to the lowly grant writer, huddled in her tiny cubicle (holla!) knows that it might look easy but it's a lot of hard work. Art isn't easy.

Patti's book takes us through the highs and lows of her career as an actor - from her early days at Juilliard to her most recent triumph as Rose in Gypsy, with all stops in between. The tone is light, and it is a quick read. I got the book on Tuesday (I decided not to pre-order it, but rather, to storm Borders early Tuesday morning to get a copy) and I am just about done with it. If you are familiar with Patti's "Ramblings from the Road", the book reads like that, just like you're sitting around a table with her somewhere, knocking back something strong from a square bottle and she's dishing with you. Spoilers are coming, darlings, so if you don't want to know, stop right here!!

And does she ever dish. She cheerfully recounts the time when the entire Acting Company got crabs (ewwwww), and when she got snowed in after her Evita audition and was rescued by Superman (AKA Christopher Reeve, who helped get her on his flight). But everything was not always coming up roses. Through the high points, there were low points. She talks about her involvement with The Baker's Wife and what a trainwreck that was, along with two unsavory leading men (Topol and Paul Sorvino. Yes, she names names). The dish gets even more entertaining when she gets to talking about Life Goes On and her hate/hate relationship with Bill Smitrovich, and it's even more intense/heartbreaking when she starts to talk about Sunset Boulevard. I'm not an actor, and after reading this stuff, I know I couldn't ever be one - my skin is paper thin. I did some theater in high school - I am a decent singer (it's in the name) but after I was rejected for a play I really wanted to do, I could not take any more. Being criticized for my work is horrible to me (mainly because I hate being wrong. And I hate being called out for being wrong even more). And I just write grants! I can't imagine what she went through even though she does her best to tell me, through the pages of the book. That whole thing sounds like a nightmare. If you don't believe me, read it. There's more, there's so much more, to say (not just today, but always...Sorry, I will stop quoting Sir Andrew Lloyd Fuckhead. No, she doesn't call him that. She's trying to be a better person. But I can call him whatever I want and carry the hate for her as long as she wants.). For god's sake, I just wanted to go and give her a hug.

I'm enjoying the book very much though (could you tell?) and I could read pages and pages and pages more. It's funny, it's sad, it's touching, it's Patti.

** This may or may not have been one of the titles I submitted to her for her name my book contest. I think, personally, that it is PURE GOLD and decided since she wasn't going to use it, I might as well use it myself.

Mr. Northman, won't you please come in?

** UPDATE: Well, the finale was really kind of meh, wasn't it?? Totally all over the place, and it was not at all helpful that I actually didn't care about half of the plotlines. As we left things, Sam may or may not have shot Tommy (can't say that it matters to me one way or another. His character doesn't actually exist in the books, so he's a throwaway character anyway.) Tara seems to be skipping town (nice to know ya, Thornton! Love the haircut!), Lafayette may or may not be going crazy and his new boyfriend is (gasp!) a witch ("you're a nurse? and a witch? and... a dude?")! I like Hoyt and Jessica and LOVE that he got her a house, but the fact that Maxine just got a gun in a shop with a life size cardboard cutout of Steve Newlin is not a good sign. Their happiness will not be lasting long, I fear. Arlene and Terry might be having a demon baby, Bill went completely nuts, Russell is not dead, Sookie's in disco fairyland (but she had some awesome zingers like "when am I not in trouble?" you got that right, sister. Now go find Eric! Or Alcide!), Jason is now in charge of inbred kittykat hick town (sure, that's gonna end well), and oh yeah, Eric saw visions of ghostly Godric and, even more disturbingly, paraded around in a velour track suit. Not even the hunkiest of Swedish hunks can pull off a velour track suit. And that guy? Is pretty hunk-tacular. Then Bill challenged the Queen (uh, why? Have you completely lost your marbles, Compton?).

To quote Pam, "I have ZERO patience for that shit!"

At the end of it all, Alan Ball thanked the audience for watching and being such loyal fans of the show. You're welcome. But listen, buddy, a word of advice here. The fourth book is very Eric-centric, and here's hoping that you know that when it ain't broke? You should NOT fix it.

boxing joyfully... c'mon! Vogue!

In the photo booth at Mark & Nicole's wedding...

it's patti!

Dishing on the book, the tony's and Women on the Verge...

Nicole & Mark's Wedding

The Bride & Groom!

Saturday was a beautiful day for a wedding! I had to make last minute outfit changes though, since the dress I had picked out (to wear with some KILLER pumps) was too light and summery for the day and I would have frozen my butt off. I need to build another outfit around these shoes though, because believe me when I tell you they.are.awesome.

Nicole & Mark got married at Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago:

Gorgeous, right? It was even more spectacular on the inside. I thought it was kind of tacky to take pictures on the inside. I did it anyway, but they didn't really come out well. Random bit of trivia here, it is the highest point on the U of C campus, as stipulated in good old JDR's will. The ceremony was lovely and afterwards, we all congregated outside and took a big group picture (the photogs held up a camera over us all and took the picture that way. I would love to see how it turns out!).

The reception was in Schererville, IN, marking my 3rd official forray into Indiana (the first one was sort of a drive-thru thing, on my first choir tour as a junior in high school, so I don't know if that really counts). And... yeah, it's not really that exciting. We found out that there IS more than corn in Indiana - there are also TIRES. Lots and lots and lots of tire stores in Highland/Schererville. Like, a whole bunch of them grouped in a fairly small stretch of road. What's with all of the tires, Indiana?

The reception was lots of fun. There was even a photo booth where the guests could put on cute and funny hats and things and pose. The machine gave two copies - one for the group to keep and the other one to put in a memory book for the bride & groom. What a fun idea! Heidi, the reason we all know Nicole in the first place, was actually not able to attend (she was at a different wedding in a whole other state!) but she was with us in spirit and we drew her in to our first round of photo booth pictures (I'll try and post all of them - they will supposedly be on the photographer's website sometime this week)

We actually were seated with a guy (and his wife) who grew up in Morton Grove! He used to live down the street from Beth, he went to Park View like us (and had Mrs. Messerschmidt) and went to Niles West like us and he was all happy to be able to talk to people who knew where Morton Grove was (we generally say "You know Skokie? It's right near there." When I am somewhere out of state, I just say I'm from Chicago, because close enough, yes?). He's now a fancy teacher at U of C med school and we asked him what subject and he said gastroenterology... you all probably don't know what that is... and we all just laughed, because all of us actually have our own gastroenterologists (sadly. Damn, we're OLD).

The food was great and there was plenty of it. There was a dance floor and we all danced together AND Beth and I became the creators of the four person slow dance, because we crashed Jane & Brian's romantic slow dance to "I can't help falling in love with you." The photographers spotted us glomming onto them and started snapping away. It was hi-larious - before you all think we are terrible friends, we let Jane and Brian have the next slow dance to themselves. We almost went and danced with Nicole and Mark... I'm not sure why we didn't. That makes it into my all time top 3 dancing experiences. The first was getting down to Crocodile Rock with my mom at my cousin Mike's wedding (so.much.fun!) and my first Gala - it was towards the end of the night and the party was winding down. All of the staff members, myself included, had been working the event, and we finally had a moment to ourselves. The band was still playing, and so we just let loose and started dancing in a big group. It was loads of fun - until we noticed we were being watched by our board treasurer. He's such a cool guy though, he was just laughing at us.

Anyway, we sassed it up in the photo booth some more and decided to head on home. It was a great evening, and I could not be happier for Nicole & Mark! Congratulations (or possibly Best Wishes), guys!

Then (Rock Boat 2003)

(and now - September 4, 2010)

black swan

Who says everything is beautiful at the ballet??

give 'em the old razzle dazzle and shine!

Saturday afternoon, I took mom to see Billy Elliot. I was pretty sure she would love it, and I was not wrong. We had good seats (orchestra row J cuz that's how I roll!) and I brought a lot of kleenex, because the past two times I've seen the show, I've been a blubbing mess (more on this later).

We saw Tommy Batchelor as Billy - and he was great!! What a talented dancer and singer he is. He captured the essential "Billy-ness" for me, I don't know why. The rest of the cast was also outstanding - and I am now completely OBSESSED with Emily Skinner's voice (even though, full disclosure, I still didn't understand a whole lot of "Shine" - we were really close to the speakers though, so maybe it was just loud? I went home and listened to the OCR and I was like 'She said that? Really?')

And, yes, I cried (again). It started early this time, too. I would say I'm pretty emotional, but I don't cry easily at theater or movies. But this just really grabs me, maybe because of the struggles we are having now, economically, or maybe because I identify with the plight of the working man? (YEAH! SOLIDARITY, BABY!) I was only 6 years old in 1984, so I don't remember Margaret Thatcher (I was barely aware of our own president and politics!) so I don't know much about the situation in reality, but it all just seems so strange to me to shut down working mines and import coal from somewhere else just because you can, and put hundreds of thousands of your own people out of work. What did they do for a living after all this happened? I get especially misty when Mr. Elliot goes and BECOMES A SCAB to try and provide a better life, an opportunity, for Billy. It's just gutwrenching.

"Solidarity" remains my favorite number, it's really really well done, combining the clash of the miners and the riot police (we were so close, we could see the expressions of the police during the opening music to this number, and one of them was picking his nose. Hilarious.) and setting it against the innocence of the kids in their dance class. Life goes on, even amidst strikes and chaos. The show is also timed very well, just when there's a lot of sadness and angst, something funny happens - another powerful scene is when Billy receives his letter from the Royal Ballet School (Spolier Alert!!) The buildup to his opening the letter is pretty funny, but the celebration is cut short by the announcement that the strike has ended and the union has lost. He watches the miners go back down the shaft before he leaves for school, knowing when he comes back to town, everything he has known will be different, gone.

SUCH a good show. Go and see it, if you haven't already. And go before October, so you can see Emily Skinner as Mrs. Wilkinson. It is SO worth it...

broadway in chicago 2011 lineup

We've got lots of exciting things in store!

Here’s the full lineup (from today's Chicago Sun Times)

—“Les Miserables” (Feb. 2-27, 2011 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre): The “new” 25th anniversary production of this Boubil and Schonberg classic. (Classic it may be, but I will forever hear Patti's voice in my head exclaiming, "SHUT UPPPPP!! Work it OUT!!! Quit your WHINING!" I've seen it twice, and have no real desire to see it again, so "pull me a pint, mate, I've got a revolution to sit out!")

—“Working” (Feb. 15-May 8, 2011 at the Broadway Playhouse, Water Tower Place): A reworked version of the Stephen Schwartz musical inspired by Studs Terkel’s oral history, with new songs, including one by Tony Award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda of “In the Heights” fame. (How funny is this, by the way, a friend of mine LOVES this show and was recently wondering if it would come back around.)

—“Hair” (March 8-20, 2011 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre): The landmark peace-and-love rock musical of the 1960s is back. (YAY!!! Hippies at the Ford Center - peace and love, man! Can't wait for this one!)

—“Merchant of Venice” (March 15-27, 2011 at the Bank of America Theatre): Shakespeare at his most daring, with F. Murray Abraham taking on the role of Shylock (now being played on Broadway by Al Pacino).

—“Wishful Thinking” (April 5-17, 2011 at the Bank of America Theatre): Carrie Fisher performs her autobiographical solo show that deals with her famous parents, her role in “Star Wars” and her battles with the bottle and depression. (I thought this was called "Wishful Drinking"??)

—“Next to Normal” (April 26-May 8, 2011 at the Bank of America Theatre): More mental illness in this 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, with Broadway’s Alice Ripley reprising her starring role. (SO excited to see this!!!)

Off-Season Specials:

—“Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles” ((Feb. 8-13, 2011): The “clones” of the Fab Four will return to sing all the greatest hits.

—“Spring Awakening” (May 3-8, 2011): The Tony Award-winning Duncan Sheik-Steven Sater musical about 19th century teens on the brink of calamity makes a return visit. (Am SO going to see this again - for the song "Totally Fucked" - maybe seats on the stage this time??)

—Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” (June 28-July 10, 2011): Love the beast you’re near and he might just turn into a prince.

fall... already?

Where has the summer gone? Every year, I sit around kind of waiting for the signal that summer has started - there is no official summer vacation for the working stiff, and so by the time I started thinking summer's finally here, it is practically over. At least we have some fall things to look forward to: honey crisp apples and sweater and yes, darlings, boots!
J. Crew shows us how to get it done, and has some help from Katie Holmes and Josh Duhamel.

I love me some J. Crew - I got the catalogue yesterday. My favorite part, aside from the pix of Josh, Katie, and the cast of their movie The Romantics, was the ad on the back cover that said "Boot Up!" because fall is also the time where we can start wearing our boots! I also love me some boots (and that should come as no surprise).

So, yeah. J. Crew and Bono have decreed it to be so: Boot Up, Bitches.

the viking rumble...

Eric is getting ready to rumble... can't wait for this week's True Blood!

Justin Guarini Joins Broadway's Women on the Verge; Casting Complete - Playbill.com

This news made me gasp and giggle... LuPone and... Guarini? She is gonna have that boy for lunch!

Justin Guarini Joins Broadway's Women on the Verge; Casting Complete - Playbill.com

Thanks, Rolling Stone!

The September 2 issue of Rolling Stone will feature three True Blood cast members disporting in the altogether... since two of those three are Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) and Bill (Stephen Moyer) - who's complaining??? NOT ME.

(This is a pic from the article, I am guessing, but you get the idea, yes?)

I am officially all caught up on my TB Season 3 watching - last night, Heidi, Jane and I watched the episodes we had left to watch. Now we're up to speed on all of the batshit antics of our favorite vampiers, shifters and weres (oh my!) in Bon Temps. This is some crazy shit. But I LOVE it. Word on the street is that they are casting the witch Hallow for next season - can an arc with Amnesiac Eric be far behind?? I hope yes!

yes she can, yes she can!!

Whew, what a weekend! This was my big geekapalooza weekend, with back to back shows of Annie Get Your Gun at Ravinia. I'd never seen AGYG before, but I knew much of the music, and honestly, I would go listen to Patti LuPone sing the phone book, or rap, or do pretty much whatever the hell she wanted to do. I will be there.

AGYG is a sweet, old-school musical, with delightful music (even the sad songs sound kinda bouncy, like when Frank is breezily assuring the girls to stay away from him because he's a "bad, bad man" with a huge grin on his face, loveable cad that he is!) The cast was pretty delightful, too, aside from (the) Patti, we got Patrick Cassidy (even my mom was commenting about how cute he looked in those jeans!) and George Hearn. I didn't have any trouble believing in Patti as a pistol packin' mama (I read a quote somewhere from Lonny Price that said something to the effect of Patti's so good, you just kind of believe whatever she believes - and it's true. Patti says she's Annie, well, damn straight, she is!) The plot is also fairly old school - with the central conflict of the plot involving the best way to get (and keep) a man. Annie is pretty sure that you can't get one with a gun - and when she tries to impress Frank with a fancy new trick, he goes all crazy because (gasp!) she's a better shot than him! Oh no, I can't marry you now, you're a better shot than me! I just wanted to shake him - hello? Does it fit in her character at all that she would double cross you? No. If he hung around her long enough he'd notice that simple girl thing was not an act. And if she was double crossing you, why would she be all, 'Oooh, Frank, did you see that? Did you like it?' Frank and his wounded pride. Because god forbid a girl be better than you, right? Nah, it's just dumb luck. Sigh. And also, he would just have to get over his "A doll that I'll carry is the girl that I'll marry thing" because, dude, please. See what I mean? Old school.

Some of my favorite things from the weekend:
- On Saturday night, about 4 people with those sequined light up cowboy hats came into the pavilion and parked themselves in the front row, with the hats blinking perkily. I can't be sure of this, but I think that someone went down there and told them to turn them off during the show, lest someone catch a glimpse of merrily blinking cowboy hats and commence to lose her shit. Or maybe she would have liked them, hard to tell with her, sometimes. It would have come as a surprise, anyway, to come out on stage and see blinking cowboy hats.

- As further evidence that I am a magnet for strangeness, Sunday evening, I arrived at Ravinia, and parked myself on a bench with a book until it was time to go into the pavilion. A nice older couple approached and asked if they could share the bench and I said, of course. So they were talking amongst themselves, and the lady apologized to me for distracting me from my reading, but I didn't really mind, and I said as much. Then they started talking to me, and had apparently been in a nasty car crash on the toll way on their way to Ravinia. I asked if anyone had been hurt or anything like that, and where they had come from, etc. No one was hurt. Their car was banged up but driveable. The girl who crashed into them was not hurt but her car was wrecked. An unpleasant way to start a lovely Sunday evening, and we got to chatting some more - turns out the gentleman was a fan of theater and opera and liked to travel to New York, so we talked about that for a while. I am apparently nice and approachable, but why, why, why, why am I never approached by young, hot, available MEN?? I ask you.

- Sunday night, I was early to my seat and noticed Patti in the wings, checking out the audience.

- Sunday again, I had seats in row K in the center section. That is the closest I've been in a long while (the absolute closest I've been was row D left side for Gypsy. That was total luck, and I've never been that close since). I didn't take any curtain call pictures since I was so darned close because Patti would be sure to see me (and hey, she had a gun, okay? and I don't have a death wish).

- Patti rocked all of her big songs, but probably my very favorite moment was during "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" (no, but you could shoot them, which might come in handy when they're prattling on about being a doll they can carry.) and she blasted out "with a GuuuUUUUUnnnn!!! With a guuuuUUUnnn! No you can't get a man with a gun..." Oy, those notes! That voice! Enough to give me goosebumps.

- She was also super cute (I know that most people probably wouldn't call her cute, but she WAS, so there) in "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" and after the "Any note you can sing, I can sing higher" bit, she kind of screeched out a note, looked a little surprised at what had issued forth from her mouth, and burst into laughter. Also, was there ever any doubt over who could sing longer? Patti all the way, although I was worried she was going to fall backwards while she was sustaining the "IIIIIIIIII..... CAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!" bit.

- A whole seperate shout out is needed for Mr. Cassidy and, as I mentioned, his jeans. He was plenty cute, also.


- A sidebar here, the Ravinia magazine was identical to the one from a few weeks ago - different cover, but same stories. Same profile of Nathan Gunn (which, whatever, he's lovely and delightful, and I will happily read his interviews. In fact, in the future, I offer to GIVE these dinner with... interviews. How bout it, Ravinia?) Same story about the Merm, same exact content except for the program details in the back. This is the first time I have encountered that, and I wonder if it was a mistake or what.

- There was a signing on Saturday night, but I didn't stay. It was HOT, and I hadn't brought anything worth Patti signing, and I can never scrape enough brain cells together in her presence to say anything meaningful. Even though I've been curious to ask her if she's still doing the blood type diet thing, (because if yes, it is working for her!) and tell her that a colleague of mine makes smoothies using kale, so she could try that, if she was in need of creative ideas. Do you think I could actually say these things though?? No. So I didn't wait. And I didn't wait last night, either, because it was late and Sunday and I had to get up early for work this morning.

- I also think I saw Mandy Patinkin lurking around in the audience. I was waiting to leave on Sunday - one of the bad things about sitting close is that it took just about forever to leave. I was looking around, like you do, and peered down an aisle (for easier exit access) and I spotted someone who looked familiar. First I just saw him in profile, so I wasn't sure, so I kept (subtly) looking and he turned around... I am pretty sure it was him. If I'd had anyone with me, I would have done what Heidi did to me in NYC when she saw Constantine Maroulis hailing a cab, AKA, she grabbed me and went "Isn't that... somebody?? American Idol dude?" (It was. We were down the street from Rock of Ages at the time.) So that is unsubstantiated, but there you go. I never spot ANYBODY, so points for me there.

Ummm. I think that's all. For a while I had considered going to Lolla a few weeks ago, but really, it's not my scene. Give me a beautiful summer night at Ravinia, and amazing singers doing a charming musical and I will be happy.

start your friday off with a bite

This? Right here? Is why I parked my butt in front of the tv all of last weekend, watching True Blood. Fangtastic, yes? Real vampires don't sparkle!! Incidentally, I emailed this photo to a co-worker late yesterday afternoon, because who doesn't like to get pictures of hunks to get you through that last hour of the work day? Her response? "DAMN! OH MY. OH MY."

Pretty much.

patti, we loves ya back!

Patti and Peter singing "An Old Fashioned Wedding" from Annie Get Your Gun, which, happily I will be seeing many times this weekend. (Note to self: bring bug spray!)

Ow!!!!

Multi-tasking is the devil and all!!! I sat through a training session this morning and wanted to get some fresh air. I went to the Noodles & Co. on Michigan Avenue to get some lunch, reached for the door (that I thought was there) and walked into a big old glass panel - with the right side of my face. OW. What a klutzy dumbass I am sometimes.

There IS a door there, for the record, but it is to exit, not enter, and so I crashed into a glass window, knocked my glasses askew - had to run across the street - thankfully there is a Lens Crafters there and they fixed the damage pretty quickly. Went back to pick up my food and am sitting here with a bag of ice on my face. It hurts, too, I hope I didn't give myself a black eye!!

what? you want to see the paparazzi video?

Well, all right, if you all insist... the Man with the Eyepatch shows up towards the end of the video. Aside from that, this is a great song... I almost would have gone to see Lady Gaga at Lolla this past weekend but you know... I felt a little old for the rock and roll lifestyle.

time out ny: alexander skarsgard on the hot seat!

This is an oldie (from September) but a goodie brought to us by Time Out New York ...


True Blood fanatics insist that Alexander Skarsgård could floss his teeth with Robert Pattinson. As Eric Northman on HBO’s hit series, the actor spends most of his screen time brooding, biting and just barely concealing his dreamily undead bod. He’s come a long way since his small part in the 2001 flick Zoolander (“orange mocha Frappuccinos!”): He carried HBO’s critically acclaimed miniseries Generation Kill, scored a part in theforthcoming Lars von Trier film Melancholia and is set to tantalize True Blood fanatics everywhere when the show’s third season premieres on Sunday 13. We sat down with the smokin’ Swede to talk vampire fetishes and fraternal mix-ups.

Let’s start with a confession: Certain TONY staffers—and we’ll avoid using names here—are total fang bangers.
What’s that?

Oh, you know, people who want to make vampire babies.
That’s always good to know when you’re doing an interview.

Sadly, we haven’t happened across many fangs to bang.
You haven’t run into any vampires lately?

Do you think being a fang banger is edgier than being a Twihard?
What’s that?

A Twihard. Like a Twilight obsessive. Don’t you know what a Twihard is?
Uh, no.

We’re actually impressed. Speaking of deadly things—how did you end up playing Lady Gaga’s murderous, eye-patch-wearing boyfriend in her “Paparazzi” video?
The director, Jonas Åkerlund, is a friend and fellow Swede. He told me, “You push Lady Gaga off a balcony and try to kill her, then she comes back and poisons you.” It sounded like fun. With Jonas, you know it’s going to be edgy— it won’t be walking down the beach holding hands.

Which is the better accessory: an eye patch or retractable fangs?
I really dug the eye patch—I felt like a pirate. An updated version of Captain Hook.

The last season of True Blood asked a lot of Eric. In one episode you eviscerate a human prisoner; in another you’re wistful after the loss of your maker, Godric. Quite the range for a heartless vampire.
Yes. When we started the first season, people thought Eric was this businessman with zero feelings. It was nice during season two that—without losing Eric, without making him too soft—I could at least show that there’s another side to him.

It was also a very sexy season, full of vamp-on-human hookups. But while Eric was very flirtatious with Sookie—Anna Paquin’s character—he didn’t get much action.
Eric’s got plenty of time. No rush there. He’s, you know, enjoying the progress.

But the season-three previews show you topless and talking with Sookie. Please tell us they finally…fang bang.
There is a lot going on in season three. The attraction to Sookie will not subside—it’s strong and growing stronger. But of course I can’t tell you. That’d be a huge spoiler, wouldn’t it?

C’mon, just a little hint about what’s coming?
It’s about revenge for Eric. You find out that he lost a group of people 1,000 years ago that were very, very dear to him. Suddenly he’s presented with an opportunity to avenge them, and that’s something he’s been awaiting for a very long time.

We’ve seen some clips with werewolves, too. What was it like working with wolves?
Pretty amazing. When you’re up close, they’re so majestic and beautiful and powerful.

Any scary moments on set?
There were a lot of scary moments, but none involving wolves…

Intriguing. Now that True Blood is the most watched HBO show since The Sopranos, you probably get recognized a lot.
Yeah, a lot of people think I’m Peter Sarsgaard’s brother.

How do you feel about that?
He’s an amazing actor. So I always say, “Yes, we’re brothers.”