Monday, December 22, 2014

Can't Stop It with This Train Wreck!

The season finale is coming.  Get yourself the HBO if you don't have it. (Also, I hear soon HBO is "Going Over the Top"...meaning, you can order it all by itself, separate from your cable company. And watch it anytime.)

And what is this season finale?

The Comeback

Every disgusting and pathetic thing that happens on the show is pretty much a true depiction of how it can get in Hollytown.  It's not that way for everyone, obviously.   But all the misery presented, in all its uncomfyness---is a decent amalgamation.

I love Hollywood.  Why not? A lot of people are having fun there. Doing what they like. Making money. Pretending they are having great sex when mostly they are staring in the mirror. Certainly, the circus tents pop up and down and every day can be something different. It's fun.

But let this show be a cautionary, and wry tale.

Additionally--there's an arc that makes sense. Nice bonus.

Lisa Kudrow is a smart and talented cookie. Laura Silverman, pitched perfect against her.

Merry All of it.

At our house, #WeLoveYouKudrowAndKing


Tuesday, December 16, 2014

I Want

Nothing.

When I want nothing, I am happiest.

Of course, when you say you want nothing, the vacuum creates a state that is joyful.

And then the joy tells you what you really want.

At that point--you have to tell discipline and vanity to back off.

You just do.

There is a lot to be said for holding on tight, discipline, keeping it all together.

But there is much more to be said for not that.



Monday, December 15, 2014

Something for the Ladies

I have been trying something lately.

You know how there is all this unconscious misogyny out there?

Or at the least, a certain second class citizenship that women face in our culture?

I got to thinking.

Ever since I was a kid (and before that of course), there has been all this bifurcation of the sexes, simply due to differing pronouns for each sex and also, different proper names for each sex. Certainly different curse words for each sex. Etc.

So I have been trying this. When I see a woman who is scowling on the subway...I don't think to myself, "What a horrendously unpleasant hag. I bet her name is Witchywanda."   Instead, I think, "That person looks unhappy."

In general, I am trying to use the word person instead of any pronoun or any gender specific word at all.

So it might not be long before someone asks me, "How was the interviewer last night?" and I will respond, "A fine person, in a brown coat with black boots. An up disposition. I would be happy to see the person again."

And with that... I have remained completely gender neutral.

People are just people.  No more identifying them by genitalia for me. Call me a crazy bitch, but that's what I am trying for a while. See what it does to my experience with everyone. This could be empowering. Or confusing. But confusion is good.

There are so many ways out there--to feel like you can't breathe.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

GIVE YOURSELF a GOAL FOR MID JANUARY: LAURA NYRO FEST, January 15


New York Tendaberry: Songs of Laura Nyro

Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 8PM

Brooklyn


Brooklyn Reading Works Presents: New York Tendaberry: Songs of Laura Nyro 
Produced by Louise Crawford with SINGERS Lauren Fox, Amy Burton, Grace Cosgrove, Erika Amato, Ina May Wool, Janie Barnett, Nancy Graham, Jennifer Lewis Bennett, Don Cummings, Louis Rosen and Debbie Deane

New York Tendaberry: The Iconic Songs and Life of Laura Nyro on January 15, 2015 at 8PM
  
Performance Date: January 15, 2015 at 8PM

Location: The Old Stone House in Park Slope (336 Third Street, Brooklyn, NY) or possibly The Bell House (149 Seventh Street, Brooklyn, NY) –if it just gets too big.

Audience Tickets: $25



This event will be sold out quickly. So please, if you want to come, jump on your ticket purchase today.


The show will include a very smart Nyro-Know-It-All who will give you some finer points of her life. But mostly, it’s the songs. The great songs.


This yearly event in Park Slope where tribute is paid to a great singer songwriter is always a large enjoyment.


Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Mink Stole and her Bouche de Noel

Go see Mink's show. Enjoy yourself. Fully. This holiday Season. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.  Every evening at 8:30.   This weekend only.

She makes it fun.

http://spincyclenyc.com/index.php/holiday/122-mink


Cult film icon from Pink Flamingos & Hairspray premieres holiday show with Her Wonderful Band.
December 11-14 at The Laurie Beechman Theatre
Cult film icon Mink Stole (Hairspray, Pink Flamingos) premieres her new holiday show "OMG! IT'S CHRISTMAS!” in New York City beginning December 11 at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, performing with Her Wonderful Band. Performances are December 11-14 at 8:30 PM. Tickets are $25, with a $50 VIP option (including preferred seating and a backstage meet and greet), and are available at www.SpinCycleNYC.com, or by phone at 212-352-3101.
You’d expect something unconventional from John Waters’ favorite actress Mink Stole, and with "OMG! IT'S CHRISTMAS!” she delivers just that. Stole performs songs including Stay a Little Longer Santa, Le Petit Tambour (The Little Drummer Boy, in French), Tom Lehrer’s Christmas Carol, Pretty Paper, Christmas Time is Here, and more.  Mink will be accompanied by Her Wonderful Band: Glenn Workman on keyboard; Skizz Cyzyk on drums; and Dylan Kaminkow on the upright bass.  They also have a very…unique… version of The Twelve Days of Christmas that you won't want to miss.
Mink Stole is a household name for anyone familiar with the films of John Waters – she has appeared in every one of his features, and almost all of his movies. She began her film career in Waters’ 1966 short Roman Candles, but her appearances in films including Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Cry-Baby, Serial Mom and Hairspray have undeniably made her an underground legend. Some of Mink’s recent non-Waters films include All About Evil, Stuck! and 3 films in the Eating Out series. Her most recent appearance in New York was in last year’s sold out revival of Tennessee Williams’ The Mutilated opposite Penny Arcade.

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Religion: Possible Insanity

We live in a country where there is supposed to be a separation of church and state. Thank goodness.

It doesn't always hold up, but most of us get to toodle along believing in whatever the hell we want about life and death, the cause of the universe, where love comes from, ethics, etc.

I have a few friends that are religious---and their whole shebang, whether Jesus based or not--is based on love. And to them I say, KEEP ON LOVING.  It's lovely.

But then there are these other people, you know who they are-- The dogma people. The wretched control people. The attacks on those who are different:  From the nutty uniformed Mormon HouseFrau who hates her gay son to the caliphate seeking ISIS folks who are simply vicious and deadly.

Couldn't we gather up all the people who are still involved with religion who actually believe in love and acceptance and ask them to all get together and simply make a uni-religion called "The Love People?"  Or something much better sounding than that?  Chuck all the old stories as nothing but fables? And have the Love People just talk about love. Simply enough.

You don't need a Jesus or a Buddha or a Hindu God to love. You just have love. It's a primate thing. Dogs have it, too. It simply exists. Of course, there is also rage and destruction...so focusing on love is probably not a bad idea.  We may as well have that as a something we aspire to. It is the better energy.

So many religious stories are so hurtful, the pain inflicted so enormous, I do believe, with respect to my friends who are so loving in their religious way, that it is time to evolve away from these old forms.  These old stories. These old cautionary tales. We got what we needed. Simplify. Get rid of the us and them.

If this destroys cultures as we knew them...so what?

Yeah--Revolution.  I'm not leading it. I'm just suggesting it.

Thursday, December 04, 2014

All Over Some Loosies?

Besides it being ridiculous that Eric Garner is dead and his choker is walking around like nothing happened, is the issue that few talk about.

Consider this quote from The Daily News:

“Every time you see me you try to arrest me,” Garner told Officer Daniel Pantaleo and a second cop before he was put in the chokehold, according to a video first posted by nydailynews.com. “I’m tired of it. It stops today.”

Clearly, they had a history. And with any history loaded with animosity, there is resentment and bottled up aggression ready to blow. The day Daniel Pantaleo put that choke hold on Garner, he was intent on finally winning. Like a bully in school yard, a Nazi in a bunker or a dictator in North Korea, that cop exercised his power in the most base and horrendous way imaginable.

When you watch the video, it is clear Eric Garner was choked and slammed to death. Was there intent? Most likely not. But he killed him.  They all killed him.  For the sale of some Loosies...  If you are broke, in your twenties, looking for a smoke in NYC, it has been a tradition, though illegal, to buy a loose cigarette. And to kill this man for that...  

Daily News Article with LINK TO VIDEO

Friends, this is outrageous.

Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Gender Equality Haiku




You must fight like them
To be fair and equal?
Strap on your cock, girls




Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Questioning

Why do people like sappy movies?

I once sat through The Preacher's Wife on a plane...  I remember how I sort of liked it because I hated the flight and it was a decent distraction.  But it was moronic, of course.

We sat through Saving Mr. Banks last night on Starz.  From people who had seen it when it was released, I heard it was sort of enjoyable and even made fun of Disney. It was tripe. The entire thing.

Now...I understand there is a huge world out there and people need their entertainment. People work hard. Life can be grueling. So a little fantasy and dare I say it, simplicity, is often in order. I mean, not so much for me...I can take the slog of living life head on...as long as I have hearth and home, hubby and friends. But I am in the minority, I know.

But what I do not get---truly---is that people can actually watch silly things and then end up thinking that life is actually like that. This is wild to me.  And here comes my ultimate beef:  I end up feeling very alone in a world that believes in unicorns and rainbows, sweetness at any cost and scrubbed clean psyches.

Give me the mess. The real mess. Please. Why not? It's so much more interesting.

Isn't it more satisfying to dig into things in a more interesting way instead of pretending the town is going to all get together to help the crippled kid,  that the divorce is not going to happen, that Momma is actually going to get out of bed, that money grows on trees while goodness springs eternal?

I believe in love. I do. It's the best thing ever.   But there is so much else going on. And we have to clear up those things. I think we have to face them. Funny. Dramatic. Wry. Farce. Sincere.

No need for the simple delusion, here, that in one fell swoop you are going to face your demon, sob, and then hug Mickey Mouse and feel all better.

Nothing new in trashing the silliness of Disney movies.

We need better.

Emma Thompson needs better.

I don't think Tom Hanks cares either way.