It's official. I love me some Alec Baldwin.

Woke up a little crabby today. Went to bed fine, but woke up crabby. What the hell happens overnight to make your mood change one way or another? Has anyone done a study on this? Maybe I'll start that today. I don't have anything going on. See?...there it goes. The sarcasm has already begun and it's not even 6 am. Not a good sign.

Wowee Wednesday

Gwen Stefani

I saw Gwen on Ellen last week and was reminded of how much I like her. There is just something about a girl who takes charge onstage that is hot to me.

It's not that I am particularly attracted to her looks as much as it is her...um...let's see...her swagger. That's it! Yeah, her swagger! And Gwen swaggers best when she is fronting No Doubt. As the lead singer of this group and it's only female, she swaggers and poses the hell out of that stage, taking charge and daring the crowd to not follow.

Gwen has also managed to forge a very successful solo career, and although I much prefer the music of No Doubt and the persona Gwen sports when in the group, I admit that she has some very catchy tunes that I find irresistible as well. Let's just say that I buy whatever she is selling.

The other attraction for me is that she has figured out a way to balance a successful career and be an involved mother. There's nothing hotter! Readily available are pictures of Gwen, hubby and babies strolling, shopping, and playing in the park.

Will someone please stop the madness? gross.

stark reminder

Our local Veterans for Peace reminds us every Memorial Day of those who have fallen in the wars of choice since 2002. Their tribute, running along one of our main roads, displays a tombstone replete with personal information, for each soldier who has given their life in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a stark necessary reminder of an unnecessary conflict.

My photos are of the road ahead of me and the road behind me. The tribute has run the length of one side of the road, approximately 1/2 mile, and has started up the other side for another 1/2 mile. My hopes are that it won't make it all the way back.

Broadway Monday

reasons to be pretty Greg’s tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his off-handed remarks about a female co-worker’s pretty face (and his girlfriend’s lack thereof) get back to said girlfriend. But that’s just the beginning. As their relationship crumbles, their friends are pulled into the fray, and all are forced to confront a sea of deceit, infidelity, and betrayed trust in their journey to answer that oh-so-American question: How much is pretty worth?

reasons to be pretty has been met with critical acclaim and a growing cult following. This Neil LaBute play is not easy on the ears or sensitivities as it opens with an expletive-laden scream- fest that catapults the audience into the fray of a relationship's last breaths.

Eventually the show calms down and the important question of our obsession with physical beauty is addressed. Heart-wrenching realizations and dissolution's of relationships built on sand drive this poignant play.

reasons to be pretty is currently playing at the Lyceum Theatre and is nominated for three Tony Awards next month including Best Actor and Actress in a Play. The photos included in this post are both from the Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.

hullaballoo

So, I don't watch "Jon & Kate Plus 8" but I can't seem to escape the media frenzy that is surrounding the show and the couple. (I have to look at something while waiting to check out at Target!)
Here's my take on it: Jon & Kate + fake affair=ratings booster
I'm just sayin'.
I'm also just sayin' that you should be ashamed of yourselves for putting your young family through such drama.

just too long and angry for Twitter

Sitting here waiting for someone to show up to install heater for the pool. I left work to be here for the 9:00 appointment. It's 9:35. He's 35 minutes late. Again. No call. No text. No smoke signal.
Would it be wrong to smash him in the head with my "Getting Control of Your Anger" book?

**RAMBLE ALERT**

I am just sick of the way the media has been handling this whole Dick Cheney vs. Barack Obama farce this week. Let's take a sec and think about this:

• Where in the world was Dick the majority of the time he was actually IN office?
• If the argument is that the Bush administration was doing so much to protect us, then why did we get attacked in the first place?
• Why is it that since Obama was elected we are suddenly and completely unsafe although nothing has been changed as far as procedures of national security are concerned. We are still running things like the Bush Administration did. There hasn't even been time to change anything, so we can't be in more danger.
• The Cheney camp is trumpeting that "the people" should be involved in making the decision regarding our national security. Really? REALLY?! Seems to me that when the GOP was in power, we "the people" were TOLD what to do, what to think, and what to say. Oh and by the way you'll like it too! If you don't you'll be branded a terrorist or unpatriotic.
• Where were you, Dick Cheney, on September 11th? just wonderin'.
• Don't you dare bring up the point that "thousands were killed in the name of terror" when you used that horrible day to orchestrate the killing of tens of thousands in our name. Those people say the same things about us, and rightly so.
• Since when does simulating drowning get filed under "tough questioning"?
• I am insulted that the networks are demeaning Barack by sporting a split screen of him and Cheney all week. This is not a debate people. Obama is our president, not Dick Cheney.
• What does it say about the state of our media when the networks so effortlessly fall into the snare of promoting this ridiculous agenda of Cheney's? How pathetic and sad that no one is willing to grow a pair and say no. Bunch of fucking lemmings.

Wowee Wednesday

Kelly McGillis
Let's face it, we've had a love affair with Kelly McGillis that started way back. No one wanted to admit it, but she was rather hot in 1985's Witness, and we swooned as she defended Jodi Foster in The Accused. But, let's all be honest that when she strode into the frame for the first time in Top Gun we all said "Tom who?" I mean really, who are YOU looking at in this photo?
She's been a constant in the filmography of our generation, and recently made every lesbian jump for joy when she appeared on The L Word....

....and publically came out as a lesbian earlier this year. Yay! Gaydar works people!

So now I don't feel so silly thinking she's hot all this time. There was a good reason!
trivia tidbit: Kelly is the former owner of Kelly's Caribbean Bar Grill & Brewery in Key West and could be frequently seen there tending to patrons. I admit to driving by hoping to catch a glimpse, but saw no one in a bomber jacket and apron.

Aren't we taking our eye off the ball here? I mean it's the GOP's best tactic, trying to get us to focus on something other that the actual facts or the actual person who should be blamed, but come on.

Don't you think it's interesting that Dick Cheney lumbered onto the scene last week, made the rounds on the news shows, stirred up the lemmings, and at the end of the week everyone was looking at Nancy Pelosi?

How many times are we going to fall for this old stale act?

Democrats: Let's stay focused on this one. Eye on the ball, please. It's easy. It's the one that has the words "REPUBLICANS SUPPORTED TORTURE" scrawled on the side. Remember?

Broadway Monday

Mary Stuart

Mary Stuart portrays the extraordinary relationship between England’s Elizabeth I and her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth’s rival to the throne. Through behind-the-scenes intrigue, scheming and betrayal, the play has the feel of a modern-day thriller, building to an electrifying, dramatic confrontation.

According to press notes, Mary Stuart "is a thrilling account of the extraordinary relationship between England's Elizabeth I and her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth's rival to the throne. With it's behind the scenes intrigue, scheming and betrayal, the play has the contemporary feel of a modern-day political thriller."

Harriet Walter and Janet McTeer, both nominated for Tony Awards next month, reprise their roles in this Broadway production which had it's first exposure on the London stage to rave reviews and sold out performances. Mary Stuart will play at the Broadhurst Theatre through August 16th.

Underscoring the oafiness of my neighbor:

• washing the car
• you know, the one that never leaves the drive
• because of a flat tire
• but we keep it anyway because it's a Mercedes
• oh, and it's raining

do you see what I'm dealing with here, people?! Brightest candle on the cake, he is not.

bastions of morality unite

natch.

I've added a new widget at the top of the page to give everyone a chance to hear the incredible earworms I am having since last Thursday. I'm a giver, what can I say? I hope you enjoy.
I'll be talking about this show eventually, but right now the real world managed to find me and those window treatments aren't going to hang themselves at the new office...obviously. I've waited and the windows are still bare. huff.

Wowee Wednesday

Wanda Sykes Strong. Outspoken. Funny. Bold. Assured. Adorable. No sillies, not me!...Wanda Sykes.

Wanda has been in the news a lot this week due to a hilarious turn at the podium of the White House Correspondents Dinner. Not everyone (read: the Right)* appreciated her jokes about Rush and proceeded to skewer her in the news, but I have a feeling that attention only contributed to the next set of stand-up jokes. Way to make lemonade!
Wanda also became the first openly gay woman of color to speak at the annual event. Another feather in her already heavily decorated cap.
You can see her in many films and defunct sitcoms, but currently she plays the hilarious business partner and "life partner" to Julia Louis Dreyfus on The New Adventures of Old Christine on CBS.*Righties have taken every opportunity to condemn Wanda for her joke, but no one said a peep when Bush himself made jokes about not being able to find WMDs or Bin Laden at one of his Correspondent's dinners. Now let's see...one joke makes fun of a bloated drug addict radio host, the other jokes about sending us into an unnecessary war. Wow, these people have a priority problem.

dust off yer crystal balls

Gee, I wonder what his long-range career aspirations are?

and

Gee, I wonder what Vanessa Williams thinks of this?

a little common sense please

Monday Morning, 6:00 am

Dear Across the Street Neighbor:

I'd like to take this opportunity to inform you of a couple of tips for being a good member of a neighborhood community. I hope you will appreciate, enjoy, and possibly use a tip or two.

Your dogs belong to YOU. The entire southeast section of the neighborhood doesn't want to share in the parenting duties, dootie duties, or have to run for their lives as one of your three dogs chase them down the road.

You have a fenced in back yard. I know this for a fact because as I asked you to keep them from leaving presents in MY front yard you sighed pathetically, "I'm trying to put up a fence!" Have you thought of actually using that fenced area for the dogs? I'm quite sure it would contain them. Plus, your retired sleeping neighbors would appreciate it.

So, all that being said, why is it that at 5:20 this morning I hear you calling out into the neighborhood for your dogs? I rolled my eyes and thought bad words about you which is normal. I refrained from calling you my usual pet name " Oaf " You're welcome. But now it's 6:00 and you are again calling/whistling/clapping for them. WTF? So your dogs have been roaming the neighborhood for 40 minutes free to pee, poop, dig, and bark in everyone else's yards, not to mention the fact that not everyone is awake at 5 or 6 am. Truth be known you just woke my lovely from her restful slumber. (shakes fists)

Is it any wonder that you are one of the topics at almost every homeowners association meeting, or that I fling your dog's poop back in your yard every chance I get? I've got enough to clean up in my back yard without worrying about stepping in your dogs cheap ass dog food dooties. Yes, I can tell a difference.

Good day.

Broadway Monday

God of Carnage

Two sets of parents meet up to deal with the unruly behavior of their children. Will it be a calm and rational debate between grown-ups about the need to teach kids how to behave properly? Or will it turn into a hysterical night of name-calling, tantrums and tears before bedtime?

I'll be honest and tell you that this show was not on our list of potentials when we were planning our trip last weekend to New York. In fact, I was told by my lovely that although she liked Marcia Gay Harden a lot, she simply couldn't stand to see James Gandolfini so don't even bother. Scheduling and run times being what they are, we were faced with a dilemma Thursday afternoon as Tony buzz was causing tickets to fly out the door at every theatre. God of Carnage was right across the street from two places we needed to go after the show, and it was a relatively short show at 90 minutes with no intermission. I did my best coercing and rationalizing while the box office finagled the last two seats in the orchestra section of the Jacobs Theatre. :) I'm very glad I did, they did, and my lovely took a chance and trusted me! What a fantastic show!

There is just something about watching a small group of seasoned, professional actors on a stage take control of a play. Marcia Gay Harden, James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, and Hope Davis all take command of the small stage at some point during the show displaying their acting chops, but the best scenes involve the utter physical chaos and emotional carnage the four of them heap on the stage as one well choreographed group.

The audience is taken on a roller coaster ride as the discussion by mature adults regarding the problem between their children via a playground scuffle turns into a brawl of words, flowers, pillows, cell phones, cigars and just a "splash" of vomit. Lest ye think this is a 90 minute event of stress, let me assure you that we laughed for the majority of the show! We both agreed that Marcia Gay Harden is hilarious, and who knew?

God of Carnage is a simple topic made into a hilarious and poignant commentary on our civilization and just how little we have evolved from the common playground rules and scuffles.

God of Carnage is currently playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre through August 2, 2009 and has been nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Play, two for Best Actor, and two for Best Actress.

Clearly, I fell down on the job of daily documenting my trip to NYC. Never fear! Will finish documentation and juicy tidbits when I get back.
Landed in Orlando and making our way back to Gville as we speak.

Saw "Next to Normal" last night. What an impactful, moving, brilliant, incredible show. Can't express how that theatre experience moved and affected me. Incredible.

NYC day 1

Having a great time in NYC so far, of course.

We got here and checked into the hotel by 11 am, so we started off the trip with pretty much a full day to ourselves. We're staying at the Marquis in Times Square (I fully admit I am spoiled) and it a great place to be right in the middle of everything. Love it!

We sat in on the taping of Sirius Radio's Live on Broadway which is taped every Wednesday and features among Broadway stars, Seth Rudetsky whom we listen to daily and follow his hilarious deconstructions of all things Broadway on a regular basis. I hear you calling me a geek. It's okay. I'm good with it.

Then it was off to Zen Palate for the first of many awesome vegetarian meals. Those people know how to serve up a meatless meal. I'm trying to figure out how to kidnap a chef and bring him home for my own personal use. Just look at this Thai Chop Salad.

After picking up the first of many cups of coffee, we started the schlep up 51st to The Daily Show studios to claim our VIP tickets. What an interesting process!

One of my best friends from college scored us tickets that assured us great seats for the taping and a little extra attention. Let me just assure you guys that no person or germ is going to harm Jon Stewart or his staff! We were screened, scanned and Purelled! No joke! They made us use Purell hand sanitizer before we could go in! Hilarious! Jon claims to not be in charge of the germ patrol, and blamed it on the fact that the building is "full of Jews. And we are afraid of everything."

Pretty funny! Also, they are soooo serious about not using cameras or phones during the taping. They asked, pleaded, warned and threatened us to nt take out any cameras or cell phones once in the studio and you know as well as I do that some crazy girl took out a phone, used it, hid it, wouldn't give it up, then argued with the bodyguard until he finally won and took her phone and ID. She pouted the entire taping and we laughed at her.

Our show featured George Stephanopoulos and Dan Rather in a 'fro wig and mutt 'n chops. Classic. Hope you catch it!

After that, off to Zen Palate

for dinner and now we are back in the room taking a break. Going down to say hi to Steph in a few. What a great start to the stay!

*post saying hi to Steph: I just love love love that girl. Genuine, sincere, totally robbed for the Tony noms. Going backstage on Friday.