Merry Christmas, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, this is the blog I normally would have done on the 25th, but, being that I will be away, and the computer there does not perform as well as others I am on (I cannot post pics!!!!) I decided to do my Christmas blog now!

So, here is to finding you gathered underneath the tree with loved ones, gifts, and bon bons aplenty, having gotten through successfully the year that was 2,011. Whether you think of Christmas as Victoriana, "Meet Me In St. Louis," or a tacky white tinsel tree with blue balls (the ornamental, not medical, kind!!!), the Raving Queen hopes your Christmas is Merry!!!!!!

And some special wishes out there for--

Margaret and Mary Ann--a Sister Act still on the Top Charts!
Brian and Dolores--troupers navigating some rough turf, which I hope is done
successfully
Judy--a former colleague, one of my faves, a source of cheer, who needs
some cheering herself!!!!!!

Merry Christmas, to one and all, from the Raving Queen!!! See you when I get back!!!!!

Like I Said, Girls, A Bitch Fest For The Holidays!!!!

Darlings, not since Ann Bancroft and Shirley Maclaine went at each other on the roof in "The Turning Point" (1977) has there been such a joyous bitch fest as "Carnage".The difference is the earlier film was High Camp, and remains iconic ally so,whereas this is an incisive, humorous, yet unerringly accurate portrayal of a group of people, who just may be you and I. And don't try to deny it, darlings!!!!!

This film is also a good example of why it is a good thing I never had children!!!
At one point, Michael, played wonderfully by John C. Reilly, in a role that finally allows this fine actor to show his genuine acting skills, says, "I am a short-tempered son-of-a-bitch!" Lambs, with me, all you would have to do is change "short-tempered" to "confrontational," because, as you can imagine from this blog, when I feel threatened or attacked, I tackle matters head-on!!! As a parent, I would have been every neighbor's or teacher's worst nightmare!!!!!

Which is one thing you don't have to worry about. But it explains why I felt more sympathetic towards Nancy and Allan (played wonderfully by Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz), even if his cell phone antics got on my nerves, too. But, then, have you ever tried walking down a street with someone coming at you, talking on a cell phone??? Even if they see you first, do you think they move???? Of course not; because they expect YOU to!!! Which is one of many reasons why this film presses so many of my buttons.

Jodie Foster, as Penelope, has the best role here she has had in years!!!!
Onstage, she was played by Marcia Gay Harden (we LOVE Marcia!!!!), and my response was different in relation to the actress. With Marcia, I admired her release of suppressed rage; it was a relief, after her cool self-containment. Jodie has no self-containment whatsoever; her anger and self-righteousness is all on the surface, like a pot just getting ready to bubble over, so that, when she does, it is not a surprise, and she (the character) is so annoying, you want to her slap her silly!!!! When Kate Winslet delivered the now classic line that ends with "...and I wipe my ass, with your Human Rights!", I was not the only one in the house who applauded!!!! I have gotten into arguments with these Penelope types in stores, and let me tell you, they had best be put out of their misery before inflicting any more!!!!
And Jodie Foster nails this persona PERFECTLY!!!!!

Good as the film is, and it is good--the camera work, lighting, positioning of the actors, is typical Roman Polanski, meaning you can see traces of earlier work ("Repulsion," "Rosemary's Baby,"), so that, by the time the film ends, you cannot imagine anyone but Polanski having made it--I think in some ways it works better onstage, only because it is such a visceral piece, you need to have the actors right in front of you, you need to have the distance of the screen removed to give it full dimension. I have no doubt this cast could play it just as well onstage as they do here, and it would be something to see that!!!!!

Girls, I just LOVED "Carnage." If you have had a bad day at work, if you need something to constructively release your Inner Bitch, without doing yourself, your property or anyone else, harm, especially if you cannot get an appointment with your therapist, THIS is the release for you. And I know, dolls, that once this is out on DVD, EVERY Queen will have it in their collection!!!!! You know THIS one will, darlings!!!!!

But try and see "Carnage" on the big screen!!!! It is a Bitch Fest, and an Actor Delight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings, This Is The Shortest Day Of The Year!!!!!

As if, girls, the days leading up to Christmas are not short enough, they really are short, as we have reached the point we have been building towards, since Summer. The good news, dolls, is that, from here on, the days start getting longer. Which means the end of Days Of darkness At 4:30 are in sight!

Something I have always been confused about--if this is the Shortest Day, then when is the Longest Night???? Was it last night? Or tonight? It is things like this, that can drive one batty.

Meanwhile, on this, the Shortest Day, I have so many errands--out to the nabe bakery for loaves of Irish Soda Bread, packing for my Holiday trip (and making sure I have enough books, darlings!!!), dinner with some friends before leaving town for a few days, and then off to the wilds of PA tomorrow!!!!

So especially make the most of this day, because it REALLY does go fast!!!!!

Remember MacDonald Carey's opener at the start of "Days Of Our Lives?" On this day, honey, the sand does not sift through the hourglass, it POURS!!!!!!

A Very Special Winter Blog To All!!!!!!!!

Well, girls, Fall, 2011 is History, and Winter is here! Time for cozying up to the fire, 19th Century Novels, and two coming months of monotony, until the Spring!!!!!

Tomorrow is, the way I was taught, the Shortest Day Of The Year, so I just want to say that, with today being the First Day Of Winter, I wanted to open it in a very special way!!!!!

One of my first associations with the season is that wonderful song from "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol," entitled "Winter Was Warm."

This cartoon special first appeared in 1962--to think it will be 50 next year!!! Hopefully, there will be some kind of COMPLETE Anniversary Broadcast!!!! I understand this was sometimes shown in local theaters--imagine the Lucky Ones who have seen THIS classic on screen!!!!!

It is still one of the most talked about specials of my generation, and for so many reasons. The first is Mister Magoo, voiced by Jim Backus, and one of the iconic cartoon figures for the Baby Boomer generation!!!! The second is how he was used--though an adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic (and an extremely good one; despite major condensation, it is still perfect!!!), the concept was that Quincy Magoo was appearing on Broadway, in a Musical Stage adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." It starts out with him enroute to the theater, with the classic opening, "It's Great To Be Back On Broadway!" There are theatrical in-jokes, glimpses of backstage mishaps, and still a show is presented onstage, before an audience that is clearly shown. It is even structured in acts, like an evening at the theater!!!! The concept was brilliant!!!!!

Before going further, let me say that in 1962, Broadway classics were still being churned out. Jule Styne and Bob Merill were getting ready for a classic collaboration of their own--a musical about Fanny Brice, called "Funny Girl," featuring a young Brooklyn up and comer with the last name of Streisand. And Styne had done "Gypsy," with Merman, by this point!!!!!

"Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" was first aired on NBC the night of December 18, 1962!!!!! Which would have made me all of eight years old!!! And it pointed me in the direction of several things--my Dickens mania, and, darlings, my Theater Queenship!!!! Since the age of 6, I had been captivated by this 33 rpm record I had of Lionel Barrymore as Scrooge, taken from a radio adaptation. I think I had seen at least some of the Alistair Sim (still the gold standard, when it comes to Live Action versions, darlings!!!!)1951 movie, so I was grounded in the story. And I loved the Mister Magoo cartoons; my Uncle Jack, who worked for Shell, gave me a Magoo pin the company, who I guess had been a corporate sponsor, manufactured one year!!!! I still have and cherish it!!!!!

But Mister Magoo and Charles Dickens???? How would this play out????

Well, darlings, here we are today, discussing it!!! Tell you something???

Its dramatic intensity must have been illusion bursting to some kids, accustomed to the Magoo humor, and settled in, after the 'Broadway' opening. But once the curtain went up on Dickens, they pulled out all stops!!!!!

How many of us here can still remember "I'm All Alone In The World," without choking up, and tears coming to our eyes??? Or, by contrast, the strictly Broadway ribaldry (and it would be a show stopper, if done live) of the Thieves' number, "We're Despicable!"??????

But the number that always got to me, still does, and forms the basis for today's blog, is the aching, romantic ballad, "Winter Was Warm."

This was sung in the past, by a girl named Belle. In the Dickens original, or other adaptations, she is called something else, but the situation remains the same. Young Ebenezer Scrooge was engaged to her, but she sensed his love changing, as his romantic dreams and ideals are overtaken by capitalistic, moneygrubbing ones.

"But this is the way of the world!" he answers to her, defensively!!! Just like today's techo junkies, whose humanity erodes in the face of ever increasing technology, forgetting to keep the advantages of technology, without losing the joys of Humanity.

Sadly, Belle, in releasing him, asks, "If you were free, would you today choose a girl whose father had left so little money?" Scrooge is abashed; he knows the answer now is that he wouldn't!!!!

Which is why it is so heartbreaking to see Magoo/Scrooge in the Present, with the Ghost Of Christmas Past, implore, "Yes, Belle, yes!" hands, outstretched. He is truly regretful of a choice that cost him, ultimately, some real happiness, and consigned him to a lonely life!!!!!

And now, it is time to get out the hankies, darlings!!!! For this is when Belle, with that gorgeous Victorian hairdo and red dress, walks from him, goes to a table, picks up a snowglobe, muses on their lost love, and sings--

"Winter Was Warm.
Summer-soft that year.
The winter was warm.
Without a sign of frost,
Like winter lost
Its way that year.

It seems, as I recall,
No blossoms fell that fall,
May didn't leave at all,
Or did love paint an illusion?

Now, trees, with a sigh,
Stand and shiver
While their dreams fall and die.
And all my dreams are bare,
Wrapped up somewhere,
In summer leaves.

Oh, what I'd give to be,
To be in love again.
This year, the winter is cold.
Will it ever be warm,
As it was, then?"

And then, with a parting, "Goodbye, Ebenezer," Belle walks off!!!!!

All right, are we crying now, girls???? Are we???? Darlings, even at eight, this song got to me like nobody's business. I hadn't even started crying at "Over The Rainbow" yet!!!! And the song still gets to one; I was weeping, as I wrote the lyrics. It is a gorgeous song, sung by Miss Jane Kean, who, again, boomers will remember as Trixie, on the Jackie Gleason "Honeymooners" from the Sixties, in color, as part of his hour long variety show, with Art Carney (again!!!) as Norton, and Sheila Macrae as Alice, this time!!!!! Jane's rendition of this song is so powerful it brings comparison to Judy Garland. Some maintain it was she who sang it, since the production company that made this made her cartoon film, "Gay Pur-ee", where she voiced Mewsette. It is definitely not Garland's voice, but imagine if she HAD sung it!!! But not a thing Jane; others have recorded it, but hers is the definitive rendition.

Now, wait till you hear this!!! As this special went on to become a classic, somewhere along the way art gave further way to commerce, so that, by the Eighties, this was still being shown, but the 'Broadway' opening was often cut--bad in itself!!!--and so, horrors, was "Winter Was Warm." Which is stupid, because a chorus sings it on the end credits, and it is used as a score bridge throughout, the same way 'Rainbow' is in 'Oz.' Which shows how high a value its creators placed on it.

My apologies to all--try as I could I was unable to find a picture of this sequence. So I settled for the Broadway title marquee, and Scrooge with Belle in happier times!!!!!

More to the point, without it, you lose the central idea of wrong choices leading to lost happiness--and why!!!! Which is not too young a lesson for children to learn!!!! Look at the impression it made on me!!!! And turned me into a Theater Queen, to boot; those instincts were grounded in me!!!! This song is an understated masterpiece; it may not turn everyone into Theater Queens, but I defy anyone to listen to it, without pause for reflection on and gratitude for the love you have. You know I do, girls!!!!!!!

There is happiness, or wishfulness towards HOPE, within the teariness of this song, and warmth is my wishes for this Winter for all MY girls!!!!!

As warm as all that warmth encased within the snow globe!!!!

Where Have I Been, Girls???????

Now, darlings, you know I have missed you all, but what a rough couple of days it has been. And here we are at Christmas Week!!!!

It all started with the annual Work Christmas Party this past Friday, which, of course, included the annual group dance to "It's Raining Men." Honey, if you think "Who's That Woman?" is winding, you should try this, especially in high party mode. Since I had to work the next day (another "time honored" tradition!!!!), I could not imbibe, but that did not stop others, I am telling you!!!!! The drinks went fast, the food faster, the tree was beautiful!!!! And a good time was had by all!!!!!!

Before I get to the weekend, let me backtrack to the Gay and Lesbian Reading Group Party, which took place last Wednesday. Joel's famous Mai Tais were once again the highlight of the evening, and while I had my share, remarkably I was not hung over the next day!!!!! That Julio, what a cut up!!!! And no Miss Thing to disturb the festivities!!!!! I wouldn't have missed it for the world!!!!

Two parties in 72 hours. Is it any wonder I was getting run down???? Then working a full day Saturday. And we actually had a party to go THAT night, but were both so exhausted we passed on it!!!! And, darlings, when the Raving Queen passes on a party, you know a point has been reached!!!!!

And Sunday, we had to do Christmas shopping--at MACY's!!!! We arose, breakfasted, I did my calls, errands, and such, and we were off. Well, by the time we climbed out of the subway at 34th Street in front of the store--and you can imagine how crowded THAT was!!!!--I was hit by such a state of drowsiness I thought I was going to go down right there!!! Was my klonopin working over time????? Had I accidentally taken too much???? I was feeling WEIRD!!!! Nevertheless, Monsieur shepherded me into MACY's, where we shopped, and where I was eventually overcome by nausea, which was so palpable by my face, he knew I was not faking. I can act, darlings, but I'm NOT Meryl Streep!!!!! Even he knew we had to get home--and fast!!!!

Would you believe we got a taxi outside MACY's Sunday, in middtown, during Holiday Shopping Season???? The angels must have been giving me a break, because we whizzed home, where I was promptly hurled into bed when IT began--stomach ache, back ache, and intestinal noises. Oh, and yes, girls, running to the bathroom with expected results. I almost wished it had been the other end, as I am better at gauging attacks. With where it was, over the years, there have been times when I did not make it, accidents happened, and clothing was lost!!!!! Intestinal stuff is the worst!!!!!

Added to which I could not eat, nothing tasted right when I did, my stomach was growling a mile a minute!!! Was this food poisoning???? Fallout from the Christmas Party????? Holiday Stress???? All of the above??? And I was supposed to go to my sister's at week's end, for our annual Christmas celebration with my father and everyone!!!!! What was I going to do????

I even, coincidentally, went to my doctor, as I had to reorder a prescription. All he could do was to advise me to drink fluids and go slow on my food intake!!! Like, I was going to pig out at Commander's Palace in NOLA???? Honey, if you put me in front of there over the weekend, I would have passed out on the spot, because the luscious aromas coming from there would, at that point, have sickened me. As did the Holiday food commercials, when I would try and watch television!!!! Would this torment ever end???

I think it might, and I have to credit some of it to Pepto Bismol!!!! You just know I love its pink color, so why should something so pretty taste so icky??? Like mint flavored chalk!!!! Not as bad as a colonoscopy prep, but not what you would expect from pink!!!!

So I went to work yesterday, and, at some point late afternoon, I felt my stomach settle!!! Though I don't feel out of the woods yet; memories linger for a long time!!! But--food tasted normal now, I enjoyed dinking coffee for the first time in days, and things are staying in me. I don't know what knocked me out, but , girls, don't let it get you!!!!!

What else???? I have to get bus tkts, a token gift for Monsieur. We have no idea what to get one another, so we are going to jointly give ourselves an evening out, with a nice dinner, and a show. My guess, if it is till running, the show will be "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever," because Monsieur has been hankering to see it, and I have to admit, I am curious, too. But I am telling you, darlings, if "What Did I Have?" is improperly sung, I will get right up in my seat and deliver on the spot a sell out rendition that will put such an error to rest!!!!! So stay tuned on here, for this, girls!!!!!

I want to stop in at my home away from home, Three Lives Bookstore, to wish everyone a Happy Holiday!!!! As well as those at work!!! Then I am meeting my childhood friend, Doug, for a Bitchfest screening of "Carnage," which, now that I am blogging again, girls, I will be sure to report to you!!!!!

Oh, another sign of improving health, I was really able to enjoy my "Law And Order's" last night. It was a full evening of 'SVU', and capped off by one of my favorites, Shadows," featuring Sarah Paulson as the Socialite Siociopath we all know and love--Ann Gillette, whose fashion sense does not stop with prison or murder!!!!
You just gotta love her!!!! I had forgotten how doubly delightful this episode is--as it is the one where Edward Hibbert licks Mariska Hagarity's (Olivia) boot!!!!! I recall reading an interview with Hibbert about doing this scene, where he said they all had fun, and had trouble keeping a straight face!!!! As for the boot licking, he said, "It was an honor, really!!!"

If only I hadn't capped it off further by watching the "American Justice" program "To Save their Souls," chronicling the story of Family Annilhator John List, the man from Westfield, NJ, who murdered his entire family 40 years ago. Monsieur watched it with me, and I think it was too intense for him!!!!! And it got under my skin in an eerie way, because I had a series of disturbing, nightmarish dreams at one point, capped off by List's image appearing in there somewhere!!!!

So.........from stomach upset to boot licking!!!!! That's where I have been!!!! You can bet I am going to avoid any homemade egg nog this year--and I advise you to do the same. Or, at least, lace it with enough alcohol to kill any bacteria that might be there!!!!!!!

Today we turn over a new leaf!!!!! Keep your eye on the next post, darlings!!!
Get out The Roches Christmas Album, "We Three Kings..." !!!! Watch the 60's Mexican movie "Santa Claus" with the gayest Devil this side of Christopher Street!!!!!

Whatever you do to make your holidays festive...Enjoy!!!! But no foot fetishes, please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Don 't Give Me No 'Grief'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The year is winding down, which means, girls, I need to cram in as much reading time as I can. Right now, I am reading this dark, lovely Victorian (Christmas is the time for such things, darlings!!) novel called "New Grubb Street." It explores the literary scene in London of that time, and what with the conflict between hard copy and Kindle books today, it still has a kind of timeliness. And the conflict between artistry and those who sell out--oh, honey, I am telling you!!!!!!!!

I'll talk more about that book when I finish it. The one I want to talk about right now I touted awhile back as a Fall Literary Event!!!!!!!!!!

Leah Hager Cohen's "The Grief Of Others" has a cover which evokes the Broadway set of "August: Osage County." Proof positive that you cannot judge a book by its cover, because, on the basis of it, and some positive feedback I had heard, it was my hope this novel would, in its own way, have been as compelling as Tracy Letts' play. Alas, alas.

It's not that Cohen's novel is not good, or that she can't write. She can; it is just that she goes down territory we are all too familiar with. The impact of a child's death on a family cannot be under emphasized, but the minute the novel opened with daughter Biscuit (real name-Elizabeth) Ryrie symbolically pouring ashes into a brook, I knew where this would end up. Which it does, cyclically; with the family restored as a unit, disposing of the actual child's ashes. Been there, done that!!!!!!!

While other characters, like Gordie, and his father, who is dying/does die of cancer, and makes these artistically beautiful dioramas, she does not do enough with. And still others, like John Ryrie's daughter from a student liaison, Jess, she does too much with, added to which the character is SO annoying. And, unfortunately for us, the reader, she is the catalyst that moves the story forward. Judging from all the buzz generated by Rooney Mara in 'Dragon Tattoo,', I think if this book gets filmed, she will play Jess.

It is all so predictable, darlings. I mean, so is Dickens, but, sorry, Leah, hon, you don't have that kind of lyrical genius!!!!! Though it a somewhat short 371 pages, I found myself wanting to hurry up and finish this, and get on to something else!!!!! I did not feel that way at any time while recently reading the 800 page plus "Moby- Dick." Just goes to show, girls, it is all in the writing.

I wanted to like "The Grief Of Others" more. It does not go completely out of control, like "The Night Circus," but it takes too long to establish where it is going, and then take paths too frequently traveled.

Though, how about that little thing dropped at the end that Gordie might be gay???? What is that all about???? Let me say, I never got a Gay vibe from Gordie while reading the book. What are you doing, Miss Cohen???? Is this your way of tossing in a little surprise!!!!!! Stick to Lilac Chocolates!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know what was more frustrating--"The Night Circus'" lack of prosaic cohesiveness, or Cohen's exploration of overly explored turf. Let's see what she can do with a subject that goes in a new direction, or one not as frequently explored!!!!!!!!!!

Like my fashion sense, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quelle Catastrophe, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just had to amend myself! When I posted this iconic photo yesterday, I asked you to go from left to right. It should have been Right To Left. The Children, in DESCENDING order of age, are/were--

Lauri Peters (Liesl)
William Snowden (Friedrich)
Kathy Dunn (Louisa)
Joseph Stewart (Kurt)
Marilyn Rogers (Brigitta)
Mary Susan Locke (Marta)
Evanna Lien (Gretel)

There!!!!!!!!!! I stand corrected!!!! Now, I want to hear from all you girls!!!!!!!!!!!

A Bientot!