blurry freaking pepper pictures

So...no joke. My roomie and I are coming home on Wednesday night, and there are peppers lying on the ground where we crossed the street. Sadly, they are blurry (it was raining...I did the best I could), but really, what do the peppers mean? This is just getting creepy.

some much needed funny movies...

After hearing some terrible news on Wednesday, I headed out in search of a reason to laugh. Making my way to the East side in the rain, I took in the French film THE VALET, and found myself giggling. A billionaire and his supermodel mistress have a fight, and a passing paparazzi gets a shot of them together. The billionaire's wife sees this photo, and the billionaire plays dumb saying that she must be with the other man passing through the picture. The other man is a valet who works at a local swanky hotel. The billionaire goes to the valet with a proposition. Move in with the supermodel, and pretend to be together while I sort this out with my wife (who happens to control about 60% of my company). Hilarity ensues. The valet finds himself the envy of everyone, and the billionaire starts thinking that maybe there is something going on between his supermodel and the valet. Will the wife buy it? Will the valet find love? Can a normal man live with a supermodel?

Final thoughts: Charming and sweet, you should check this out. It doesn't have to be on the big screen, but do grab your beret and some chocolate, and make a date!

Today, still needing some cheering up, I headed out to see HOT FUZZ. (Frankly, you are all perverts. This is NOT a porn film. Ew.) By the same team who produced the fabulous SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ takes a look at an overachieving policeman. Tired of looking bad next to this guy, the London force sends him (Simon Pegg) to a small, sleepy English village. Voted "Village of the Year" for several years, this town sees about as much action as a nun...as a town where not much goes on. Suddenly, several "accidents" happen, and people seem to be dying right and left. This movie is not only hilarious, but also smart and sharp. Poking fun at cop movies, the violence is ridiculously gory. With a fabulous cast, this movie is everything you hope it will be.

Final thoughts: Laugh out loud funny, grab your popcorn and soda, and enjoy!

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

what is it with peppers?

So, on Sunday night, I am walking home from a lovely dinner with my voice teacher, and fellow singer when I come across this on the sidewalk. What is it with me and peppers? Is this a thing? Do peppers mean something, and I don't know about it? What does it mean?

movie redux

Last weekend, the day before the Nor'Easter, I wandered down to Loews 68th street, and took in the funny, bizarre drama called YEAR OF THE DOG. This movie started, and I laughed, and then it just got weird. Writer/Director Mike White is so talented. He has such a singular voice, and this work has great moments. The one line that killed me (and it is in the trailer) is when Regina King tells Molly Shannon not to give up on love because "even crippled, retarded people get married." The film tells the story of a woman (Shannon) and her pet dog. Their routine is sweet and simple (and alarmingly similar to the life I lead with Mama Cass) until Pencil the dog tragically dies. A mess, this woman tries to move forward without her partner-in-crime, and is eventually asked to become a pet foster mother. Soon, she finds herself finding herself and a cause she can believe in. Peter Sarsgaard plays her love interest, and Shannon is fabulous in this film. I guess when it comes down to it, I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it. It just lost me towards the end. Mike White is known for humorous and provocative work, and this is another to add to this genre. A little weird, but moving and sweet, this movie will appeal to animal lovers. I can't wait to see what Mike White will come up with next!

Final thoughts: If you are looking for an off-beat, smart comedy-drama...this is for you. You could wait and get this off NetFlix though...no problem.

This past Saturday, it was sunny and 70 degrees. So, of course, I wandered to the movies to check out DISTURBIA. Now, truth be told, I am not a "scary-movie" kind of person. However, I am ashamed to say that I think Shia LeBeouf is too cute. (I know...he's like 12...well 20.) There is just something about him that is SO compelling. He was in this golf movie last year that I totally dug...THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED I think...and I am too lazy to look it up on IMdB. Anyway, sentenced to house arrest, LeBeouf spends his days watching the neighbors, and notices that one neighbor is not quite right. He also falls in lust with the other neighbor, and drives his mother (the always fabulous Carrie-Anne Moss) crazy. This movie is better than it has to be....and is a lot of fun. However, I think that chances are slim it will be nominated for any Oscars.

Final thoughts: Don't judge me...LeBeouf is adorable, and if you grab some popcorn and go for a late showing, it might freak you out just a bit.

BONUS: I got our tickets for SPIDERMAN 3 on IMAX. The roomie and I are going on Monday, May 7....I don't care if my geek flag is showing...I can't wait!

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

random pepper

The other morning when I went out to catch the bus to work, I saw a random pepper lying on the sidewalk. Now granted, there is a Mexican restaurant under us, so it's not that random. It just made me smile a little sadly to see the lonely pepper lying there, on the streets of New York.

fabulous night

On Monday evening, the roommate and I went to a hilarious benefit for the Actor's Fund. The event was a faux master class led by Broadway personality Seth Rudetsky. Called "Broadway 101", Rudetsky talked about the different aspects of Broadway theatre, from who is an orchestrator (the person who takes a composer's piano arrangement and makes it for an orchestra) to what is a swing (understudy for the ensemble). He also used Broadway performers to demonstrate said lessons. One of my favorite moments is when he had Andrea McArdle (the original Annie in ANNIE demonstrate the chest voice by singing "Tomorrow". I feel like I have fulfilled musical theatre prophesy by seeing her sing that song. I honestly had chills...it was unreal to see live part of musical theatre history. There were so many great moments, and Rudetsky was hilarious. I laughed most of the evening, and was so sad when it ended. I was so happy to support the Actor's Fund, which is a wonderful organization. I can only wish that there will be "Broadway 102", "Broadway 201", up through graduate level courses. Oh, the show opened with him talking about the practise of orchestra pits being shrunk down to 9 people from the normal 26. An orchestra of 9 played the beginning of the overture to GYPSY. He quickly stopped them and invited the rest of the group out to bring the orchestra to the full 26. When they played the overture, it was like a little bit of heaven.

photo credit: www.sheilaomalley.com

terrible day

Although the event was a lot of on Monday night, we couldn't help but be saddened by the unfolding tragedy at Virginia Tech. My heart breaks as more information comes out about this terrible day, and I can only send my thoughts and prayers to the many affected. What kind of a world do we live in? Why is there so much anger and hatred? How do we live in this kind of world? Working at a university, this particular event has affected me more than I think it might have in the past. Are you truly ever safe...anywhere? I think that times like these always make one ask questions...and give thanks that you happened to be in the right place at the right time. What a terrible day. I can only hope that tomorrow will be better.

photo credit: gallery.hd.org

well said!

The following was written by actor/writer Harvey Fierstein in the New York Times. It is an incredible piece. Enjoy....and think about it.

"Our Prejudices, Ourselves"

AMERICA is watching Don Imus's self-immolation in a state of shock and awe. And I'm watching America with wry amusement.
Since I'm a second-class citizen -- a gay man -- my seats for the ballgame of American discourse are way back in the bleachers. I don't have to wait long for a shock jock or stand-up comedian to slip up with hateful epithets aimed at me and mine. Hate speak against homosexuals is as commonplace as spam. It's daily traffic for those who profess themselves to be regular Joes, men of God, public servants who live off my tax dollars, as well as any number of celebrities.
In fact, I get a good chuckle whenever someone refers to "the media" as an agent of "the gay agenda." There are entire channels, like Spike TV, that couldn't fill an hour of programming if required to remove their sexist and homophobic content. We've got a president and a large part of Congress willing to change the Constitution so they can deprive of us our rights because they feel we are not "normal."
So I'm used to catching foul balls up here in the cheap seats. What I am really enjoying is watching the rest of you act as if you had no idea that prejudice was alive and well in your hearts and minds.
For the past two decades political correctness has been derided as a surrender to thin-skinned, humorless, uptight oversensitive sissies. Well, you anti-politically correct people have won the battle, and we're all now feasting on the spoils of your victory. During the last few months alone we've had a few comedians spout racism, a basketball coach put forth anti-Semitism and several high-profile spoutings of anti-gay epithets.
What surprises me, I guess, is how choosy the anti-P.C. crowd is about which hate speech it will not tolerate. Sure, there were voices of protest when the TV actor Isaiah Washington called a gay colleague a "faggot." But corporate America didn't pull its advertising from "Grey's Anatomy," as it did with Mr. Imus, did it? And when Ann Coulter likewise tagged a presidential candidate last month, she paid no real price.
In fact, when Bill Maher discussed Ms. Coulter's remarks on his HBO show, he repeated the slur no fewer than four times himself; each mention, I must note, solicited a laugh from his audience. No one called for any sort of apology from him. (Well, actually, I did, so the following week he only used it once.)
Face it, if a Pentagon general, his salary paid with my tax dollars, can label homosexual acts as "immoral" without a call for his dismissal, who are the moral high and mighty kidding?
Our nation, historically bursting with generosity toward strangers, remains remarkably unkind toward its own. Just under our gleaming patina of inclusiveness, we harbor corroding guts. America, I tell you that it doesn't matter how many times you brush your teeth. If your insides are rotting your breath will stink. So, how do you people choose which hate to embrace, which to forgive with a wink and a week in rehab, and which to protest? Where's my copy of that rule book?
Let me cite a non-volatile example of how prejudice can cohabit unchecked with good intentions. I am a huge fan of David Letterman's. I watch the opening of his show a couple of times a week and have done so for decades. Without fail, in his opening monologue or skit Mr. Letterman makes a joke about someone being fat. I kid you not. Will that destroy our nation? Should he be fired or lose his sponsors? Obviously not.
But I think that there is something deeper going on at the Letterman studio than coincidence. And, as I've said, I cite this example simply to illustrate that all kinds of prejudice exist in the human heart. Some are harmless. Some not so harmless. But we need to understand who we are if we wish to change. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should confess to not only being a gay American, but also a fat one. Yes, I'm a double winner.)
I urge you to look around, or better yet, listen around and become aware of the prejudice in everyday life. We are so surrounded by expressions of intolerance that I am in shock and awe that anyone noticed all these recent high-profile instances. Still, I'm gladdened because our no longer being deaf to them may signal their eventual eradication.
The real point is that you cannot harbor malice toward others and then cry foul when someone displays intolerance against you. Prejudice tolerated is intolerance encouraged. Rise up in righteousness when you witness the words and deeds of hate, but only if you are willing to rise up against them all, including your own. Otherwise suffer the slings and arrows of disrespect silently.

Harvey Fierstein is an actor and playwright.

what you want it to be....

Last weekend, I met some friends from work and saw the hilarious BLADES OF GLORY. Sometimes, a movie is just exactly what you want it to be. Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are in fine form as two disgraced singles figure skaters who figure out they can return to skating as a pair team. I think my favorite moment is that they are interviewing different people and their reactions to the news. One man says, "As if figure skating wasn't gay enough." In a nutshell (ah!), that is what is so great about this movie. It pokes fun, and let's you laugh, and doesn't expect you to work at it. Sometimes, that is exactly what you want...to be entertained. Special kudos to Will Arnett and Any Poehler as the leading American pairs team. I heart Will Arnett, and he is in fine form.

Final thought: Grab some popcorn and head to the movies for a good giggle.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

christ has died, have some cake

Happily, I write to tell you what I did today in Ohio, where I am spending the holiday with my favorite people. Yes, Christ has died, but that is not the big news. My gorgeous, perfect nephew turned one today, and we have just come home from his birthday party. He is a little scooter now, crawling like a pro, getting into everything, and jabbering up a storm. He is such a darling, and I swear my heart breaks a little bit every time I see him. At his party was lots of family, as well as many friends of my brother and his wife, who have kids of their own. There was the newly-walking sixteen-month-old who LOVES to play with sports balls, and the almost four-month old with the chubbiest cheeks you have ever seen. She has started smiling, and spent the afternoon happily laying on the floor and drooling as much as she could.

There are still moments of disbelief that my brother is a father, and the new generation is upon us. I mean, does it ever become real, and sink in? Will I always feel a little confused about where I fit into the world? Can you ever just step back and look at the big picture, instead of staring at the individual brush strokes trying to figure it all out? I don't know, maybe these heavy thoughts are all the sugar from the cake and coke talking....or maybe this is what being an adult is: admitting that the world is crazy, that I love my nephew more than pie, and always wondering what it all means.

photo credit: www.wpclipart.com