Eleven Down, One To Go! Can You Believe It, Girls????????????????????????????

                                     For starters, I turned 67.  I also broke my book reading record, at 116.  Unfortunately, that book happened to be Gary Shteyngart's "Our Country Friends."  As of this book, I am done with him.  I had better luck with "A Calling For Charlie Barnes," by Joshua Ferris, which clocks me off at 117.  It is also his best book since his first, "Then We Came To The End."

                                          There was Musical Theater Week, celebrating Legends Of The American Musical Stage."   Thanksgiving was intimate and quiet.  Just the way we like it.  Even had a visit from Dexter!

                                              Then there was Musical Theater Heartbreak, when Stephen Sondheim passed the day after Thanksgiving.  And now we have something new to worry about--Omicron!  Just when I hoped some semblance of normalcy might return.

                                                  And now the Holidays are upon us.  November had its good and bad months. But it will always be mine.  Now it is done.

                                                    See you next month, girls!!!!!!!!!!  Book right now, for an appointment with Sally!

                                           Now it can be said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Don't Think I Have Given An Obit Two Posts!!!!!!!!!!! Here Are Three More Sondheims Too Good To Pass Up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Larry Kert doing "Maria," from "West Side Story," and then                                                                            both singing "Tonight."  Note the blending of voice and music                                                                once it gets to "Always you, every thought I've ever known!"

                                         "There Won't Be Trumpets," from "Anyone Can Whistle".                                                                               By Lee Remick, darlings!  Who knew??????????????

                                         "Another Hundred People--" Unmatched by Pamela                                                                                        Myers' piercing song.  The greatest song about                                                                                            New York City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I'm The Fragment Of The Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                     Aside from Tennessee Williams, none other than Stephen Sondheim could take such words, and turn them into poetry. And then combine them with music connected to a story that would challenge any performer rendering it to do his or her best work.

                                        That statement alone would serve as my testament to Sondheim, whom, like Harold Prince, I regret never having met.   Some of his work would prove achingly personal.

                                            When "Sweeney Todd" debuted in 1979, I was a mere twenty-four, but worse, my mother was in a hospital near my hometown in New Jersey--dying of lung cancer, at 64.  It was an awful time for all of us, but especially my father and I.  I had bought the 'Sweeney' ticket in advance, and did not want to go.  My mother insisted.  So, I went, and was blown away.  Over the course of time, especially while Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury were in it, I went to see it seven times.  The sheer majesty of the work accounted for this, but along the way I realized it was one particular line, pertinent to me at that time.  It was in the Act Two "Johanna" triplet, when Sweeney sings, "If only angels could prevail, we'd be the way we were."  I felt exactly that way during this time, and wanted that more than anything.  To this day, that line elicits tears.  But it was a coping mechanism I used to deal with my mother's death, and I wish I could have thanked Sondheim.

                                                "Merrily We Roll Along," which I saw twice during its short 1981 run, was another personal show of mine.  I feel I have lived both ends of it.  I was in my twenties when I saw the Original, and it hit me differently, then.   I loved the score, but the poignancy and heartbreak did not hit me.  Now, in my sixties, the last fifteen minutes of this show tear me apart.  From "Opening Doors," to the end, I think how far I have come, and I want to say to those youngsters now, "You have no idea what you are in for."  Not to mention several productions having seen, and several cast members having met, starting with a coworker in the NYU bookstore, who we all knew was auditioning for something, but did not know what, till she was cast!  Wow!

                                                       It is so hard to write this post.  Sondheim leaves behind a vast legacy that will live on, but the notion of him being gone has not quite sunk in.  Yes, he was 91, though I never thought he would die.  But, then, I suppose, being reunited with Harold Prince, some tremendous works should emerge in the Hereafter.  I hope to see them, maybe even be a part of them.

                                                         He will always be a part of us, darlings.

                                                         "Till the days go by."

                                                           You are probably wondering what songs I will post here as most emblematic of Sondheim.  Here they are:

                                    "FOLLIES--" My favorite of his works. Listen to it all, but take                                                                      special note of Dorothy Collins and John McMartin singing my                                                               favorite song, "Too Many Mornings."  How gorgeously it flows.

                                                                                               

                                              Glynis Johns doing "Send In The Clowns."  Never has                                                                                  been done better.

                                          "Our Time", from 'Merrily'.  The Original Cast sings to                                                                                    set the gold standard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                

                                      

Wedding Cakes Will Never Be The Same Without Sylvia Weinstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Yes, another New York icon has passed away.  I know you all want to hear me talk about the OTHER ICON--and we all know who that is, darlings--but it is going to be so hard to write that post. So, let us talk about one who passed earlier; last Monday, in fact.  She was 91.  The woman who defined Wedding Cake--Sylvia Weinstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       As perfect as my 2017 wedding had been, it was missing a Sylvia Weinstock cake!!!!!!!!!!!!   Glamour is going, girls!  There was a time when a person in this town could not get married, without a Sylvia Weinstock cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I mean, think of it, darlings!  Weddings meant Sylvia!!!!!!!!!!!!  How I pined for a Weinstock cake, but it was not just possible.  I wanted to call Sylvia personally, but was not allowed to.

                                          Nevertheless, all was well.  But now Sylvia has left this world, and with the icons on the other side, what cakes she will bake.  But who will take her place here on Earth?  The way things are going down here, probably Entenmann's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Sylvia was a Brooklyn born gal, who did not become the cake artist she was, until into her fifties.  See, girls, there is still time.

                                               Rest In Peace.  And, girls, at your next wedding, when biting into that cake, think how better Syliva's would have been!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                              Just look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, For That Christmas Festive Look, Let's All Dress As Chita In "West Side Story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                 I write this, minutes after learning of the passing of Stephen Sondheim, at 91!!!!!!!!!  I promise to address this tomorrow, but, for the day after Thanksgiving, I thought it would be nice to anticipate the Holiday Season, and the Spielberg film of "West Side Story," by us all dressing up as Chita Rivera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    I mean, look at that outfit!   This was back in the day, when actors and dancers dressed for rehearsals.  Today, they wear rags--and aren't ashamed of it.

                                                     No wonder musical theater was better, then.  It was taken far more seriously!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       I cannot wait to see you all, in your Chita outfits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Join Us Tomorrow Night, As Svengoolie Presents "The Devil's Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                             Supposedly, David says I chastised him several months ago, because he was watching this film, which I wanted to see.  When I began looking into this film, for this post, I was surprised.  I thought it was a made for TV film--the year was 1975, which made sense.

                                                But it was theatrically released.  And with an A-list cast!  Ernest Borgnine, Ida Lupino, William Shatner, Eddie Albert, Keenan Wynn, (he made "Nashville" the same year--imagine!!!!!!!!!) Tom Skerritt, and a then young man making his film debut, John Travolta!!!!!!!!!!!!  Also in this film are Satanist Anton La Vey (rumored to have been in "Rosemary's Baby," but not true!) and his wife, Diane.  This alone should guarantee a hoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   With "Willard" and "Deadly Blessing," Ernest Borgnine was the Camp King for a while; about as long as he was married to Ethel Merman.  The film also boasts an unusual ending, which David is anxious to see.

                                                      I think this will be a blast, girls!  Join us!

                                                      Nicholas will be watching, too.  But in his palatial digs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Wuz Robbed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  To paraphrase the great Dinah Washington, darlings, "what a difference sixty years makes."  When I first saw "King Kong Vs. Godzilla," in 1962, while in third grade, it was commonly acknowledged among all who saw it, that King Kong won the battle.

                                    But, watching the same film last Saturday, on "Svengoolie," I got a different impression.  Observing it in my late sixties, it appears both monsters tumble down the hill into the ocean.  King Kong does arise, but does not pound his chest in victory.  He does nothing.  Just swims back to his island, now an Asian one, where the natives honor him with ersatz MGM musical numbers.

                                      According to Svengoolie, in the Japanese version, as Kong swam off, the roar of Godzilla/Gojira beneath the waves, was heard.   This indicates to me Gojira was bored with the whole thing--he had enough of this script anyway, and did it only for money.  So, as far as I am concerned, Gojira was the winner!

                                         And this is supported by the fact that Gojira became his own film franchise, because he was whom the public wanted to see.  He and Kong never appeared together again till this year's "Godzilla Vs. Kong," where it is clear Gojira is the winner, got more money and top billing, as he is whom audiences want to see.  After 67 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           Funny how memories play tricks on one.  And not to believe everything seen, or thought to be seen.

                                            Gojira is our winner, and we love him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Is The Day For "Turkey Lurkey Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                         It was Donna McKechnie's first showstopper, in 1968's "Promises, Promises," and the number occurs at a Christmas party.  But today being Thanksgiving, a day associated with turkey, I think this song is perfect for Thanksgiving.  And look  at Baayork Lee, on the left.  Can she leap!!!!!!!

                                           Thanks given today to all my readers, friends and family, animal friends as well,  and, most of  all, my beloved David,  who makes every day a holiday.  Lord knows we do NOT partake of Black Friday, but if we were to,  I am certain David would find a way to make it special.

                                              So, from our house to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              And here is that holiday showstopper!  Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

Coming Up In The Next Several Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Girls, I just found out the list for The New York Times 100 Most Notable Books Of 2021, and that means much writing and reading from me in the next several ways.  I have 97 pages to go in the 115th book I am currently reading, ("Razorblade Tears," by S.A. Cosby; no relation to Bill, darlings!!!!!!!!!) so I am going for some kind of record, this year.

                                              From this list, The Times will select its Top Five in Fiction.  Though all my favorites are listed, it is anyone's guess how many, if any, will end up on the final list.

                                               So, I will be sharing the current list in terms of what I have read, and what I must read.   Surprisingly, the latter does not offer much.

                                                   Stay tuned, dolls, and all will be revealed.  

                                                    Happy Reading, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nicholas Sends His Love And Thanksgiving Wishes, Too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Nicholas has certainly captured my heart, and he is sure to capture others' on here.  He sends love and greetings to everyone, while he luxuriates in his digs.  Whatever Nicholas ends up doing, it, for sure, will be his own decision!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 Have you ever seen a more loving cat, darlings??????????????

                                                 Love you, Nicholas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Send good thoughts to Nicholas, on Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gojira Wishes All On Here A Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Gojira, the most lovable of reptiles, not only wishes everyone on here a Happy Thanksgiving, he is cooking for quite a crowd, who will gather round his table, as he carves the turkey.  And, of course, he cannot resist nibbling on a turkey leg!

                                       So, on behalf of Gojira and myself, to all on here a happy and safe Thanksgiving.  Enjoy all you want, but go easy.  Like Scarlett at the picnic, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         And Baby Gojira will join us at the table, in his demure Pilgrim Maiden outfit!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Girls, Join Us Tomorrow Night, As Svengoolie Shows Who We Should Cheer For!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Back in 1962, when this film came out,  even I went to see it.  I say "even," because,  up to that  point, I was only allowed to see Walt Disney movies.  But everyone--and I mean EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!--was going to see this.  I could  not show myself in the classroom--I was in  second grade, I think!--if  I had not gone.

                                                     Even then, the  one I cheered for was Gojira, and you had better cheer him on tomorrow  night, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Between Gojira, Svengoolie, Kerwyn, and maybe Toonie, it should be a fun evening.

                                                       This film, amazingly, was a box-office hit!  Nevertheless, when it was sort of redone, last summer, after 59 years,  it was retitled "Godzilla  Vs. Kong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                        Make no mistake who the REAL star is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        And  wouldn't it be great if, some  Saturday, Svengoolie showed the 1984 "King Dong????????????????????"

"Loveland....Where Everybody Loves To Live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                   I am only afforded one day to go to Loveland, darlings, and that was my birthday, which happened to have been yesterday.  As well as concluding  Musical Theater Week.  At 67, I don't feel that number, though there are times when my body reminds me.

                               I was too busy celebrating yesterday, to post anything, which is why this is turning up now.   The celebration was low keyed, but just what I wanted.

                               David took  the day off, and we went into Manhattan, to do a book run at Three Lives.  Looking ahead to 2022, I have designed a project for myself where I read as many of the NYRB Classics as I can.  More on that, in the future, but this was a perfect time to reveal such.

                                 Oh, and I got a birthday gift from Three Lives,  for being such a valued customer--a beautiful red tote bag,  with their name and logo on it.  I will use it exclusively for trips into Manhatttan!

                                  From there, we returned to our Brooklyn neighborhood, where I deposited some birthday gift money, in my bank, and then to the Little Cupcake  Shop,  where we selected a slice  to share, as my birthday cake.   I chose Coconut Cloud.  With tea, no less!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  But the main course was the piece de resistance.  David made, for me, Fettucine, Mio Amore,  a dish referenced in Amor Towles' "The Lincoln Highway," and which anyone can Google online, and find  the recipe.  We wondered how we would like it.  It turned out to be not only delicious, but a light meal, for  an  Italian one.

                                    Were times normal,  we would have been going to a matinee tomorrow.  I can tell  you the show would have been "Company."

                                     Alas, alas.  Someday, it  shall be.  But for now, my birthday was just fine.  Another year of new opportunities, new chances, and love with David.

                                      Hope your  birthdays are as fabulous as mine was, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         Here it is!  Simply delicious, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Featured On "American Monster," This Is The Lesbian Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           You can  tell  it  is a Lesbian Baby, because it is so butch looking.  Apparently it killed some people, which got it on the program.  How creepy can one look?  Not since the "It's Alive!" baby,  which crawled from a hospital to the Los Angeles sewer system,  where it was confronted, in the 1974 film, have I seen such grotesquerie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                This baby is no beauty,  girls!!!!!!!!!!  Stay away from it, at all costs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  You know a record player, and a stiletto, are its favorite toys!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   Beware Lesbian Babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Pre-Birthday Celebration, With My Friend, Nicholas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    After months of  planning, and just happening to fall on the day before my birthday, I got to visit my friend, Nicholas, who has moved from a health food store on Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, to luxurious digs further down on Ovington Avenue, and I want to tell you not only did I have a great time, but Nicholas gave me a real workout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       I sat in a lawn chair on the front porch, while David, his owner, waited to see if Nicholas was up.  Within minutes, he was, and came out on the porch.   I gently called his name, and he  looked wide eyed at me.   He rubbed up against me, and, as I bent down to pet his back, he threw his head back, and I  scratched under his chin--his favorite thing.  I knew then he  knew  it was me!

                                         Nicholas proudly showed  off his new digs, walking me all over the house, keeping a close eye on me.  I gave him some play gifts, which he pawed at, and then we pranced down the stairs, and  walked up and  down Ovington.  He ate a little,  then sat in his bed, next to the chair on which I was now seated, as I petted him.  He began to get sleepy, then revived, and show off how he could independently walk  up and down the street.  To be sure, he returned.  He is a refined, well behaved cat.

                                           But I was tired from my visit!  I assured Nicholas I would visit  him again--maybe next month--and was so happy about seeing him.  Seeing him, and receiving his love, was a great birthday gift, I can  tell  you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Love you,  Nicholas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Neva Small!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Musical Theater Week continues with us honoring one of the Legends Of The Musical Stage.  Neva Small,  still noted for her performance as Chava in the 1971 film version of "Fiddler  On The Roof"--my God, that was 50 years ago!--turns 69 today, and you know what comes after that!  Can you believe it,  girls????????  Neva looks fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Of course, my special  memory of her will always be her poignant rendition of "I Wonder How It Is," from the 1967 musical, "Henry, Sweet Henry," which she performed in at only 14.  It made her a Legend Of The Musical Stage.

                                            I saw Neva in "The Golden  Land," in concert, and how I would LOVE to see her in a production of "RAGS."  That show cries out for Neva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           So,  Happy Birthday, Neva, and many more!  A toast, and cake,  to you!!!!!!!!

Forty Years Ago, Tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     Back then, at the Alvin Theatre, as the Overture was blaring, young folk dashed madly onto the stage in graduation gowns, to get in their places, before the curtain rose on "Merrily We Roll Along."

                                                        For me, this one was personal.  I was very much the same age as many of  the cast members, and while the trajectory of  the show has not exactly matched my life, my reactions have changed with time.  Having seen several productions over four decades, I was lucky to have seen the original production twice--on Halloween, 1981, and the Saturday evening, after the premiere!

                                                        The score captivated me instantly.  But the last fifteen minutes of the show, THEN, just made me feel connected; seeing a production of this recently, those minutes, which include the anthem "Our Time," now break my heart.

                                                           "Merrily' is a show I have aged with. Happy Anniversary to Original Cast Members All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  May it live on another forty years!

                                                              But let the show speak for itself.  Grab the OBC CD and start from "Bobby And Jackie And Jack," continuing to the end.  If young, you will connect, if my age, your heart will be torn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                               Happy Birthday and Love To All,  'Merrily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

Sixty Two Years Ago Tonight, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       Girls, just imagine being in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, now, back in 1959.  The house lights dim, the audience leans back, and church bells chine, as the curtain goes up on...."The Sound Of Music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                           This was the night that introduced it to the world.  Before Julie and Company defined it, six years later.  And it had a three-and-a-half year run on Broadway!

                                                             I believe all the Original Broadway children are still alive, save for Marilyn Rogers, who played Brigitta.  If I am wrong, please tell me.

                                                              Pull out this CD, sit back, and transport yourselves to sixty two  years ago, tonight!

                                                               No wonder Mary Martin was associated with theatrical magic!

Happy Birthday, Martha Plimpton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Though she turns 51 today, Martha will always be a "HAIR" baby.  Talk about degrees of separation from "Frank Mills;" one cannot get closer than  Martha, who is  the daughter of Shelley Plimpton, who, my girls know, set  the  gold standard for that song, in the original Off-Broadway  and  Broadway productions of "HAIR."

                                                 My aforementioned friend, Angela, who used to stand beneath the Waverly, with me, each September 12, as I sang the song, had a friend, Lorrie Chasen, who used to babysit Martha, and knew her mother, Shelley.  Lorrie appeared in a production of "HAIR" at the now defunct Playhouse-On-The-Mall, in  Paramus, NJ.  The production was directed by Shelley.

                                                   And those of us old enough to recall the 1979 film, are fairly certain Martha, at seven  or eight, was the little blond haired girl,  seen in the  Be-In sequence.

                                                    Once again,  "Playbill" website missed the boat.  Besides this legacy, Martha has a  galaxy of stage credentials; several  of which I have been  proud to have witnessed.  And they cannot wish her a Happy Birthday.  And they think they are in touch with theater???????????????Are you kidding?????????????????????

                                                        So, Martha, as one of  our most talented performers out there, have a Happy Birthday, and an exciting year.  Come back  to the stage, soon!

                                                         And yes, "Angela and I don't want the two dollars back.  Just him."

Happy Birthday Today To Still The Greatest Show Stopper In Broadway History!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              The staff of the Playbill website should hang their heads in shame.  Is the entire staff made up of millennials, or younger, who do not know the world existed, before they were born.  Perhaps they need to hire some Aging Theater Queens, to set them straight on what they cannot grasp.  Hell, I am available!  And from the looks of the home page today, there is much they missed.

                                                 Today happens to be Donna McKechnie's birthday.  Wikipedia says she is 81 today, which may be right, but let me tell you,  she  can still  out dance  any Cassie out there.  She could on tonight, and do it  cold!  As an Original Cast member, "A Chorus Line" is in her bloodstream.

                                                   So, a Happy Birthday, and many more to Donna McKechnie!

                                                    I know.   I was there.  I saw.  I will NEVER forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Woman In This Genexa Medicine Commercial Reminds Me Of My Friend, Angela!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Forty years ago,  that is.

                                          Those who know  this blog know the last line in "Frank Mills" is--"Tell him Angela and  I don't want the two dollars back.  Just him."  My Angela and I met Spring, 1976, during my junior year in college, in a Chaucer class.

                                             The look, manner and sound of this woman's voice struck me the first time I saw the ad.  "That's Angela!," I said to myself.  Who could have imagined?

                                              The ghosts of our past come back to us in strange ways, darlings!

                                                Meanwhile, my Angela is doing just fine, in Alaska, battling snow and  moose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Sammy Williams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                Just because Sammy left us, three years ago, this past St. Patrick's Day, is no excuse to celebrate his legend and spirit. Of the original 1975 cast of "A Chorus Line," he was the best male dancer, and won himself a TONY Award for what then was the groundbreaking role of Paul, which he so ably embodied.

                                              Paul may not have been Sammy's actual story, (that was Mike, singing "I Can Do That!") but those of us who saw the show early on, were made to believe, by Sammy himself, that it was.

                                                 If alive, Sammy would have been 73.  Like his surviving Original Cast members, he could go on tonight, were he here.

                                                  Happy Birthday, Sammy!  You will live on in memory, and always launch Musical Theater Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    Have fun, dolls! Celebrate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome To Another Musical Theater Week, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                No, girls, I am not doing classes, though I could, and should, with what I have seen lately having the temerity to present itself on the Broadway stage.  I mean, "Mrs. Doubtfire?"  Come on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  For classes I would need students, a piano, an accompanist, and a space.  Too much in this Covid era.

                                                    No, Musical Theater Week, which runs annually from November 13 to 18, the last being the birthday of yours truly, is when we honor the many Legends Of The Musical Stage born this week. Those newer to this blog may be surprised at how many there actually are.

                                                     So, how do we kick the week off?  With one of the greatest numbers ever staged.  See below!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          THIS is what Musical Theater was, fifty years ago!!!!!!!!  Where did we go wrong????????????????

Girls, Join Us Tomorrow Night, As "Svengoolie" Presents "The Indestructible Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                               I remember this movie being shown when I was a child, but never saw it. So, I cannot even hazard a guess as to what the whole mess is about.  Obviously, Lon Chaney, Jr., monster star of that era, is involved, and he goes on some kind of path of terror.  But what that is, I cannot tell you.

                                                    Let's just hope Kerwyn and Toonie will join Svengoolie, along with all of us--Baby Gojira, Pippin, Kerwyn, David, and myself.  It is the highlight of our week, so may this film be even a camp highlight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      Be there, or be square, girls!  Like a pajama party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Belated Birthday, Stanley Tucci!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        There is no denying it, girls.  Stanley Tucci is hot, Hot, HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!  How many of us--admit it, now!!!!!!!!!!!!!--have fantasized about Stanley coming to our homes, cooking a fabulous Italian meal, wearing an apron...and nothing else????????????????

                                            If anyone answers no, then you are lying.  Because who wouldn't want a home cooked meal from Stanley, dressed or not????????????????????????????

                                              Stanley is such a great cook, who cooks for him on his birthday?  Now,  there is a problem.

                                                 So, along with acknowledging all past, present, and future vets yesterday, let us remember to wish Stanley Tucci, a happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    Looking good, Stanley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sheer, Unadulterated CAMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          "Munster, Go Home," last Saturday's "Svengoolie" screening, may have been the most fun had by us all since this became our weekly highlight.  For starters, look at this shot.  Why in the world is Debbie Watson, hair styled and scarf, trying to be an overaged Heather Menzies from "The Sound Of Music," released a year before, only Debbie was well into her twenties, when she made this?

                                             And, girls, you have to see the chase scene, where Yvonne De Carlo, as Lily, and Al Lewis, as Grandpa, are riding horses against rear projection--or are they?--and sputtering the most inane dialogue.  And that is  saying a lot for Yvonne, who, just a decade before, did "The Ten Commandments!!!!!!!!!"  Thank God, she went on to do "FOLLIES," in 1971, becoming a Musical Theater Legend.

                                              But they are troupers, all the way.  This film was made during a period  when travel comedy was at its height--"It's A Mad, Mad,  Mad,  Mad  World," in 1963,  and, then in 1965, "The Great Race," and "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines."  Universal did not have the budget on this film that the others did, and it  shows.  Nor did it help build up Debbie Watson's career; better to have left Pat Priest playing Marilyn, as she did through most of the series' run, and who came off as more sophisticated than Watson.

                                                    Check your brain and sophistication at the door, if you see this, girls!

                                                     And it has Terry Thomas and Hermione Gingold, as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    All aboard the CAMP Cruise, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who Dares To Call This Tartt A Tart?????????????????????????????????

                                   The funny thing about this, girls, was, about a year ago, I myself was working on a project about "The Literary Brat Pack."  I had devoured the works of Bret Easton Ellis, re-read Donna Tartt, acquainted myself  with Jill Eisenstadt,  and, outside the  Bennigton  Group, was  unexpectedly blown away by Tama Janowitz' "Slaves Of New York."

                                       The Odeon,  C'ent Anni, the whole scene--I wanted to explore what made them successful, and why some,  like Jill were not so much as the others.  And where they are now.

                                         Somehow, Life got in the way, and the project was put aside.  I had not decided whether or not  to track them down.

                                           So, I was surprised to discover,  just  last week, that an author named Lili Anolik, allegedly at "Vanity Fair," wrote an article in 2019 called "The Secret Oral History Of Bennington:  The 1980's Most Decadent College," for ESQUIRE Magazine.

                                             First, who the hell is Lili  Alonik?????????  And she's working at "VANITY FAIR?"  Let me tell you, the  days of Graydon Carter are gone, so the greatness of that mag has evaporated.   Lili is no more than a dilatant hack.

                                               All of those aforementioned are covered in the piece, save Tama,  who was not part of the "Bennington  Group."  However I did not  know that Jonathan Lethem (whose only books I have read are "Motherless Brooklyn, "The Fortress Of Solitude," which I loved, and "Chronic City") had also been in the group.  This was news to me.

                                                 It was also news to me, from  the piece,  that Anolik had tracked these authors down.   But it was apparent to me by the title, that, for reasons unknown  to me, she is gunning for Donna Tartt.   While Ellis and Lethem were all  too eager to recount their sexual escapades; Lethem  in a determined attempt  to certify his heterosexuality, Tartt was understandably reticent.  And why shouldn't she be?  If she does not want to put aspects of her past on display, that is her business.  There are aspects of mine, hon,  I would not want told.

                                                     Not content with this, Anolik  has  gone  one  step further, with a podcast called "Once Upon A Time...In Bennington College," which I believe Tartt declined to associate  with, and whose lawyers are gunning for Anolik.  But I still want to know--why is Anolik gunning for Tartt?

                                                         "The Secret History" is an  iconic book.  I have read it at least four times,  and will read it again before year's end.  Good as "The Goldfinch" was,  it would never have won the Pulitzer Prize,  had Tartt not written "The Secret History."  I can only fathom that jealousy lies within Anolik, over Tartt, which is funny, because nothing has stopped lesser, more obscure writers, from writing their own version of "The Secret History;" a list of them all would comprise "Secret History' Clones."  

                                                             I cannot be sure if Anolik went to Bennington or not, but it  sure reads like she wanted to, or wished to have been a part of this group, or some sort of equivalent to it.  Forget it, Lil, you haven't the class, or, even more, the erudition,  to be Donna Tartt; you are lucky to have a job.

                                                                The more private the author is, the more they are gone after; yours truly, included.  I guess the pursuers have some idea that we are  living some dream lives that they can only envy.  If they only knew the truth.

                                                                I would hardly equate my writing with Donna's.  But both of us are simply going about, doing our own thing, so Lili and others, do something on your own, rather than getting on other peoples' bandwagons.

                                                                  That's all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For Sure, Darlings, This Will Be The Best Damned Dressed Baby In New York City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     And why shouldn't he be?  The baby, at right is Oliver Carrozzini, the son of Bee Shaffer, and Francesco Carrozzini.  He arrived on October 25.

                                        Special  enough, yes, but why all the fuss?  His grandmother  is Anna Wintour!  That is right!  ANNA!

                                          If you think this child will not be a fashionista, ANNA will not have it any way.  Sure, Bee and Francesco are the parents; it is she who gave birth, but, let's face it, as the first grandchild, this baby belongs to ANNA.  And her little prince is going to dress the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             I can't wait to see the outfits Oliver wears.  It will revolutionize infant fashion!

                                             And may lead to a new magazine, "Baby VOGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                            Congratulations to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, This Is Why You Should Never Go To A Public Powder Room Alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Of course, darlings, in our salons, at home,  it does not matter, as we have all the privacy we need.  But out and about is another story.

                                        Venturing into a public powder room unaccompanied may find you a salacious individual out to extort you.  Which is why "All About Eve" is such essential viewing.  It contains so many of Life's Lessons.

                                           Like how to get into a party, uninvited.  Simply say to the the hostess, as does George Sanders, "You were an unforgettable 'Peter Pan;' you must play it again soon."  One of my favorite lines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Or, instead of snarling at a rival, simply bite off a celery stalk!

                                         And how about being confronted by unwanted truths?  The thing always to say in that instance is, "She was a liar!  She was a liar!"

                                          Yes, this film offers plenty of  Life Lessons.

                                           But the one about the public powder room is most  important!

See for yourselves, dears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

              

"Her Father Thought She Had The Potential To Write Literature!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                               So did mine; as did my mother.  And of course, I did.  If I made any mistake, it was taking myself far too seriously.  When young, I envisioned myself as someone like, say, Jonathan Franzen.  I completely dismissed anything else, until a teacher unearthed a hidden flair I had for comedy or humor.

                                                 The point here is that the voice I wanted to express was not necessarily the one that chose me.   It took me till 2007 to find my voice, here on this blog.

                                                    Not unlike Joyce Maynard.  Her father may have thought one thing; what she wrote was another.  Prolific, successful; there is no denying it.  But literature?  Barbara Pym is literature.  Jonathan Franzen (again!) is literature.  Donna Tartt.  Joyce is more in the camp of Jodi Picoult--not necessarily bad, but several steps below the aforementioned.

                                                       I am sure she is content.  And so am I.  Of course, I would love a book or movie deal, like Julie Powell, who partially inspired this blog.  But should that not  happen, I will have this as my legacy.  And that is enough.

                                                         What we want is not necessarily what we get.  And what we get is not often what we originally sought.

                                                       I mean, girls, right now I am having a time.  Having reached my goal, on October 23, of having read 100 books in 2021, I am, with self-imposed pressure, setting out to break  my record of 115 books.  I am currently at 105, and I want to finish, because I have new works I want to discover, as some re-reads I am contemplating, like "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland And Through The Looking Glass," and "The Secret History."

                                                         For the creative folk, there is just not enough hours in the day.

                                                          So, what I write may not be literature for some.  But it is for others.

                                                           Most importantly, it is for me.

                                                           Wish me luck on that record, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Joyce Maynard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                It has been awhile since this name has appeared on my blog.  But today is Joyce's birthday, and, at 68, it bears mention that April 2022 will mark the 50th anniversary of her career launching piece, "An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back On Life."

                                                   Joyce and I were Literary Nemeses for years, till "At Home In The World Came Out."  Finally, I understood where she was coming from.  But I wanted a voice for myself, and, since 2007, this blog has given me that.

                                                      At 20, I wrote a rebuttal piece called "A 20-Year-Old Looks Down On Life."  At 40, it was "A Baby-Boomer Looks To Middle Age."  I should have written  something once I turned 60, but other things were going on.  But, with the 50th Anniversary of Joyce's piece coming up, I am thinking of doing  a piece corresponding to my place in  life now.   There are so many things I have never written about, such as--

                                                  The people  in  high school who were kind to me, and got me through it, as opposed to the bullies and meanies,  whom I have chronicled already.

                                                   The day--November 12, 1970--when I was sexually molested by a neighbor living up the street from me.

                                                      The letter my uncle wrote belittling my mother and I, when she was terminally ill in the hospital, and that determined my course in getting out of Highland Park forever.

                                                         There are others I simply cannot write, as I don't want to out or hurt other people.  But, as Anne Baxter, as Eve, said of Addison, "I could make quite a thing of it."

                                                          Imagine how candid I could get, and still tell nothing BUT the truth.

                                                           Keep your eyes peeled, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!