Purrrrr-fectly brilliant!

Today we've lost an icon....Eartha Kitt passed away today at 81. She succumbed to colon cancer. As I'm sure you can all predict, my first introduction to Ms. Kitt was as the Catwoman on the mid-60s TV series, "Batman." I thought she was amazing....I was only 6 or 7 years old but I certainly knew a diva when I saw one!

As with most of the legends that are leaving us these days, she had quite a story....she was a mixed-race child back in the days when that wasn't so cool. Growing up in South Carolina couldn't have made that any easier. After getting her start as a dancer-singer, she became known as an international symbol of elegance and sensuality. She was a multi-Emmy winner and was also a Tony and Grammy award nominee. According to an obituary she was a self-proclaimed "sex kitten" because of her signature "prrrrrrrrrr." I don't know about the whole "self-proclaimed" part....I would guess that some ambitious Hollywood reporter coined the phrase and it simply took on a life of its own.

Regardless, time passes and so do the most influencial people of our lifetime. I can't imagine what she might say as she arrives at the purrrrr-ly gates.

The death of Batman??!

No, he's not really dead. It's time for a change....the comics are classic for this, just like soap operas. They re-tell the old stories....I think there's a reason why I'm so attracted to both media. Anyway, I personally love the opportunities this presents to tell stories....retrospectives. They are planning to have a number of prominent comic book writers contribute to the next couple of story arcs before they, potentially, revisit the "death" of Bruce Wayne.

This approach to comic book chronology is not uncommon. This is a similar tact that was taken following the death of Superman. A battle ensues and Nightwing, Robin, and a couple of others connected to Batman make the case of taking over the thone. Both Nightwing and Robin comics will go on hiatus during the retrospectives and following issues.

I can't wait for this to come out in a graphic novel....can you say Merry Christmas??!

"We Can't Elope!!"

Okay, I am loving Kath & Kim on the NBC television network. Now, rest assured, I've seen every episode of the original Kath & Kim out of Australia....I thought no US version could ever hold up. [Buzzer] Wrong! This is a very funny show that has really grown on me since the pilot. The characters are adaptations of the originals but equally as quirky. Molly Shannon and John Michael Higgins are fantastic in their roles as Kath and Phil. Selma Blair has the attitude of the original Kim, but definitely not the body (no offense to the original Kim, Gina Riley). The rest of the characters are effective although somewhat annoying at times...."Dude."

Clearly, there are precedents in this movement of American-izing successful international programming....The Office comes to mind. It seems, lately anyway, that these re-visions are more true to the original style and tenor of their predecessors. That's a wordy way of saying they're just as funny and engaging. I hope these well-cast, well-scripted shows can hang on for some time to come. Now I loves me some reality TV (you know, Top Chef, Project Runway, etc., etc.) but I truly enjoy good quality network television. The definition of "network" television has definitely evolved over the past several years. I honestly don't care what network is carrying the good stuff....I just like the good stuff! Kath & Kim is great stuff.

Oh, and for reference, the subject line is a quote from the 4th episode, "Money". Kath is making a fruit salad when Kim suggests that Kath and Phil should elope. Kath turns around holding half a cantaloupe and utters the above-mentioned hysterical line. Cheesy, maybe....funny, yes!

Hurricane Season

I'd posted on my Facebook page about the impending release of a new album by Grace Jones entitled, "Hurricane". I've been a huge fan of Ms. Jones since the late '70s and had the pleasure of seeing her in concert during her heyday at a club in Miami many moons ago.

Actually, it's a great story....

My friends and I got tickets to see Grace Jones perform at the Parallel Bar in Miami Beach back in the late '80s. We were all pretty excited because we had followed her musical career dating back to college and enjoyed her gender-bending sound....we often wondered whether Ms. Jones was actually Mr. Jones. After enjoying dinner and a few drinks, we wandered over to the venue. There were lots of folks already on line so we took our place. It was about 11pm when we were finally allowed in and we found a spot as close to the stage as we could. She was supposed to come out at midnight. Tick-tock, tick-tock....time passes. Midnight comes and goes....1am comes and goes....the crowd is getting restless. Finally, around 2:15am, we get word that Ms. Jones is in the building....well, that's nice. She emerges around 2:45....there's still a decent crowd and we greet her as positively as one could after waiting almost 4 hours. She starts to perform one of her classic songs, "Slave to the Rhythm"....she seems preoccupied. Apparently, one fan, in her excitement to see Ms. Jones perform, gets on the shoulders of her boyfriend. Ms. Jones stops dead in her lyrical tracks and requests that the woman "get out of her light." She was blocking a spotlight pointed directly at Ms. Jones on stage. Well, Miss Fan didn't realize she was being spoken to....Ms. Jones stops the concert again. Only this time she wasn't quite so polite....she comes to the end of the stage, knocks the girl off of the shoulders of her man and yells, " I told you to get out of my f*cking light!!" Snap!! And that took care of that!

We were all a little stunned at the sequence of events, but not surprised. Ms. Jones has always been known as a cantankerous performer....we knew that. I suppose that's why we waited so long to see her.

Now that we have her long-awaited album of new music, I think back fondly on that event and our appreciation for her contribution to music and androgyny. Not even a chocolate version of her can diminish that.

Jack Frost nipping at your nose....

Finally!!! With fall lasting about 3 days, we are in store for some real cool weather. Now, don't get me wrong....I love a nice warm, mid 70s kinda day, but it sure is fun to bust out the sweaters and work the wool look on occasion. Growing up in SoFl and now living in SoCal does numb you to the changes in season, but I make these choices for a reason....ice storms in the Northeast?! Um, not for me.

So with a forecast calling for snow at 2500 feet (yeah, I'm not even close), we'll be getting into the holiday spirit here in Hell-A. Time for me to iron the scarves and learn how to tie a new knot.

The Bonnie Hunt Show

Buh-bye Martha Stewart....helllllooooo Bonnie Hunt!! Honestly, I could barely watch more than 30 seconds of a single Martha Stewart episode anymore. I'm thinking....wait a second, Bonnie Hunt has a chat show. I LOVE Bonnie Hunt!! Holy Mary, Mother of God!! (as she might say in her classic Chicago-Irish accent)....this show is fantastic! I almost feel like it's an homage to the old Johnny Carson show. "Heeeeeeeere's Bonnie!" But it's not trite....lots of fun bits mixed with the classic celebrity interviews. She's good with an audience....a la Carson. And, most importantly, I laugh out loud!!!! I have never understood why the TV viewing public has never totally embraced her sitcoms.

You know, I have no idea how well the show is actually doing, but I sure hope we get at least a year or two of this exceptionally funny daytime chat show.


Now, for those of you who know me....have you ever seen me use this many exclamation points in your life??! (+1)

Motivational blogging

I was reminded recently (thanks, Ryan) that I've not blogged in quite some time. Not that I need to be reminded....I actually think about something every single day. It takes discipline, something that has been trumped by the discipline required for my job. My God, you should see my apartment....a Virgo does not live this way!! Anyway, I look forward to being more aggressive when it comes to posting here. I started this to keep some sort of record of life. Based on the current archive, life has been a bit sketchy....at least to date.

Concentration

I often harken back to my early years spent watching gobs of television....some good (Batman) and some bad (the Watergate hearings). One of my favorite game shows growing up was the aforementioned "Concentration." This one had a giant board with numbered squares that would turn and reveal part of a rebus puzzle behind each square (my brother and I used to love the sound the squares would make when they'd turn....it was very mechanical). You would try to turn as many squares as necessary in order to guess the puzzle and win fabulous prizes.

Trolling one of my favorite political blogs, AmericaBlog, I came across this posting today and, not only did it make me laugh out loud, it reminded me of that game show. The ad is one of many that is appearing in a Mexican newspaper. The bottom tagline reads, "A world so complex needs an explanation." I cannot wait until dipshit leaves office and takes his crown with him.

Fierce!

How much did I love this season of Project Runway. The breakout star and winner, Christian Siriano, was absolutely hysterical! Hot mess....tranny....fierce....he even outdoes Tim Gunn for quotable quotes.

So, what do you get when you put his awesome-ness together with one of my favorite shows on TV? This hot mess....



Enjoy!!

-ist

There is something about the suffix, -ist. It's a productive suffix in that you can easily coin novel words by adding -ist to the noun. It has multiple meanings in the English language, corresponding to (i) "advocate of", (ii) "user of/expert in", or (iii) "detractor of". Although use (iii) is probably only a recently developed use of this morpheme (def: a minimal meaningful language unit; it cannot be divided into smaller meaningful units, e.g., the or man), it appears to be the most productive.

Chris, WTF are you talking about??!!!

Well, I guess this all came out of the election for the Democratic nominee. Someone's racist....someone's sexist....sounds like we have (iii) covered. How cool would it be if we could change the perception to (i)?!

Okay class, open your books to page 123 and let's review our vocabulary words for next week's pop quiz.

Do you RSS? I RSS....

I've been working with the new Blogger template and added some of the additional features it allows. I subscribe to a bunch of blogs but I thought I'd add a couple of the ones that I visit the most. You'll find those feeds on the left navigation.

There is a series of -ist blogs that cover news, current events, etc. from the big cities in the US. Of course, being in LA and all, I read LAist on a daily basis. This is a very cool blog that lets me know what concerts are coming up, sporting events, community events....it even tells me if there is a major accident or road closure that's going to impact my commute to and from work! I thought I'd include this so that my friends all over the country can see what's shaking for those of us in Hell-A.

The second feed that I've posted is AmericaBlog. It is a liberal take on the political world. These guys provide brilliant insight on all things political, with correspondents who have served in the US government....from the Congress to Defense, from the states and abroad. It really provides breaking news and analysis of those things I think are important.

My hope is features like this will keep you coming back. Well, that and I hope to be blogging a bit more about what is happening with me.

I'm at the mall on a diet pill!

Probably my favorite band in the entire world is the B-52's. After 16 years since their last album, they are releasing "Funplex" on March 25. Needless to say, this fan is ecstatic about their new album. I also routinely keep up with their activities as I am one of their "friends" on MySpace. So, earlier this week I make my almost daily visit to my MySpace home page and low and behold there is a bulletin posting that the B's are looking for extras for their upcoming video shoot. WHAT!!?? What do I do....how do I get selected??!!

They provided an email address where I sent my contact info, gender and age, and a photo. It said in the posting that they would be letting people know by Wednesday evening if they'd been selected. If you didn't hear back by then....you were out (auf weidersehen!). I didn't hear back. Oh well, I tried....would've been fun....maybe next time.

It was a very busy week at work this week. We have a big meeting twice a year for all of our business units and lots of folks that you don't see on a daily basis were in the office. Lots of meetings, lots of lunches, lots of happy hours and dinners. I ended up getting home on Thursday evening quite late. I had an early Friday but I realized I hadn't checked my msn account all day....it'll only take a couple of minutes. I open my email account and "Voila!," an email from the address "Funplex." I could hardly contain my excitement. Are they just acknowledging that I didn't make the cut? NO!! I've been invited to be an extra in the video! Details, details, I need details....dress code, check....directions, check....time, uh....time, er....time, AAAARGH! They wanted us there at 10am....Friday morning! NOOOOOOOOO!! There was no way I could do it. I had a meeting early Friday morning, a candidate interview at 10am, oh and I work 40 miles from LA.

Was this my big break??! I hope not. Such disappointment, but after hearing snippets of the entire album, I'm guessing there might be another opportunity.

Dumb Dora is so dumb....

I've been meaning to acknowledge the passing of two of my favorite television stars....Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett Somers. You guys know what a Match Game freak I am....I still watch shows on the Game Show Network! As is often the case with game show stars, they get pigeon-holed as has-beens and no one remembers the outstanding achievements these stars attained in their "glory years."

CNR was a Tony award winner for Christ's sake!! He was an Emmy winning director (Evening Shade) and Emmy winning actor (X Files). Of course, he also played "Hoo Doo," the evil magician on Lidsville, a Saturday morning kid's live action program I watched when I was a kid in the 70s. He is forever etched in my brain for his classic, Charlie Callas-like line, "ahhh-uhnnnn-uhnnn"....I know you all can hear me impersonate this as you read it.

And now to Brett....well, you know what I said about outstanding achievements?? She became much more popular by sitting in the center seat in the top row of Match Game. She did tons of TV prior to her Match Game fame....playing the TV wife of real-life husband, Jack Klugman, on the Odd Couple....she also appeared on Love, American Style (looooved that show!), The Love Boat, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her wit, her wigs, and her cackle made her an endearing, everlasting celebrity who will be remembered long after her passing.

....

I've always been very cognizant of my use of "....". I always make sure to meter those dots to the precise number of four. I can pretty much trace it back to my anal retentive nature....plus I'm a Virgo. Somehow that's meaningful in this equation. I haven't posted recently....my schedule just doesn't seem to allow it. It's time to do better....

The torture has ended

For weeks now, I am certain that the sheer mention of my name on TVs, in news articles and over the internets has made a small percentage of the population wince. It was great while it lasted though....and now back to our regular programming.

I will survive

An update to the post below....Chris Richardson did manage to survive....much like his namesake. I'm pleased that folks will have to endure hearing my name for at least another week. Oh, and yes, that's Blake sitting in Chris' lap....awww, ain't that sweet!

Will the real Chris Richardson stand up please?

The actual genesis of this post came from the sad news that one of my favorite game show stars, Kitty Carlisle Hart, passed away today at the age of 96. Of course, she was best known for her long stint on "To Tell the Truth", but she was an accomplished opera singer, movie and stage actress. I had the oppportunity to see her in LA last fall but my travel schedule wouldn't permit that to happen. Now I'm bummed....it also makes me think that the next time Bea Arthur comes to town, I'd better high-tail it to see her! Anyway, RIP Miss Kitty....you will be missed!

And now for the Chris Richardson part of this post....can you imagine how many people who know me and may not like me for one reason (gay ex-husband) or another seethe everytime they hear my name in the media??! Quite honestly, it makes me chuckle....check that, laugh mightily. Of course after this posting, he'll probably get kicked off....ahhh, it was good while it lasted.

Bless the Beast and the Children

Okay....I really meant to say bless the children, NOT the beast. Am I being cryptic?! Indeed I am. Many of you are aware of the situation I am currently dealing with regarding my kids. Things have gotten very interesting over the past several weeks. I received a rather unnerving call from my ex-wife about a week before Christmas. She informed me via voice mail message that she had some "bad news" and that she and the kids had moved. Now, I couldn't tell if the bad news was that they'd moved or that something really bad had happened in her family. I finally got to speak with her the day after Christmas....I asked the obvious question. Indeed, the "bad news" was that they'd moved. Where?? That remained a mystery until later in the evening when I actually got to speak to the kids. No, she did not tell me over the phone....she "didn't have time to talk." So I asked my oldest daughter, she told me without hesitation that they'd moved to Denver, CO!! HUH....WHA!!?? I didn't get many details....they told me where they were going to school, but that was about it.

Don't get me wrong....the move can actually be a good thing. They are much, much closer to me distance-wise and now we're only 1 hour apart by phone instead of 3. Now if I could just get the beast to return a call or an email, I might be able to actually SEE them at some point in the near future. Of course, knowing exactly where they are in Arvada, a suburb of Denver where they are living, would be nice. The beast has only provided me with a PO box number, not a physical address, to mail things....like their Christmas gifts! Hopefully, I'll get to deliver them personally, but I'm not holding my breath.

So, I got no advance warning that they were moving and she's not providing me with their physical location....hmmmm....can you say illegal. I knew that you could.

The title should have said Screw the Beast, Bless the Children. Stay posted because that's exactly what's going to happen....and very soon.

Shello!

I am still alive and well and kickin in Hell-A!! Lovely Christmas and drunken New Year's....good times. I don't have the gobs of time required to recap many months of absence....but I will....there are gobs!

In the meantime, I got the complete series of Lidsville on DVD for Christmas, starring none other than Charles Nelson Reilly (ah-uhnnn-uhnnnnn!!). Therefore, the inspiration for the title of this post....another fabulous Saturday morning kids show, Sigmund and the Sea Monster!! Johnny Whitaker....Blurp and Slurp....Mary Wickes!!! I think I'm going to collect them all!! Scarily, I've already made a very valiant start.

Yes, I have the Bugaloos too....

Hola NOLA!

One of the reasons I love my job so much is that I get to travel to some pretty cool places. My trips are usually to pretty big cities....Boston, DC, Philly, San Fran, etc. Until recently, one of the prime targets on my travel map has been the Big Easy....New Orleans! Ever since my first visits back in college....we'd drive from Tally to NO for Mardi Gras....I've loved this city. In my professional life, it's one of the premier sites for big conventions and meetings....that was until Miss Katrina made her arrival last year. I could count on at least one trip to NO every year....not anymore. Many of the meetings that were scheduled there late last year and all of this year were moved to new venues. A couple of other biggies couldn't find other accomodations and stuck with their original plan. I was fortunate enough to get one of those meetings on my schedule this year. The American Psychological Association held their meeting in NO last week. The usual attendance for this meeting is in the 12 to 15K range....this year it was attended by barely over 8K people. Think what you want....it's hurricane season....it's crime ridden....it's not ready for the tourists....but do you want to know the real reason??!

IT'S HOTTER THAN HELL!!!

Really, who was the marketing genius that came up with THAT one (to quote a line from Seinfeld)?!! Let's see....I want to plan our annual association meeting for the beginning of August and I want the temperature to be, oh, I don't know, in the mid-90s. Let's not forget about the humidity....can we shoot for 100%?....sure, why not. Oppressive does not begin to describe the conditions for New Orleans in August....I was born and raised in South Florida so I know heat and humidity. Okay, so enough about the inclement weather....so how was NO you might ask??

It's still fun....I stayed in the Quarter at a great hotel. Room rates were dirt cheap this summer (see immediately above for the reasons why). All the main bars and restaurants in the Quarter were open for business. And speaking of business, the Quarter seems to be rebounding just fine....Friday and Saturday nights were busy, loud and inebriated. Mind you, not the same crowds as pre-Miss Katrina, but definitely rebounding nicely. The gay bars at the east end of Bourbon St were all open and festive....I spent most of the time at Bourbon St. and Lafitte's....nice guys, decent music and Abita amber (one of my fave beers).

Meals were great....had breakfast at one of my favorite places, Petunia's. They serve these amazing stuffed crepes that are to DIE for. Needless to say I visited there twice. Dinners were awesome as well. I took some work colleagues to the Cafe Adelaide....a 5-star restaurant in the Loews. We actually saw Cokie Roberts, a New Orleans native, having dinner with her husband and friends the night we were there. I love brushes with fame! And it doesn't have to be 5-star to be great....I ended up going to one of my favorite dive bar restaurants, Yo Mama, for one of the best burgers I've ever had. You get this awesome burger with a baked potato for 5 bucks....huh??!!! I can't forget Fiorella's either....it's totally off the beaten path in the French Market area. I had the best fried chicken....it rivaled my grandmother's....and they serve this crazy appetizer....fried pickles. Yes, you heard me right....they're sliced and deep fried in a corn batter. Oh, and you can get them in a po-boy too.

There wasn't much free time....but I did get some sightseeing in. I went to the Marigny a couple of times....did the Garden district....and visited the Bywater area. The devastation varied from place to place....Marigny seemed to recover well....it's right off the Quarter and they were really spared the brunt of the storm and its aftermath. The Garden district is home to some of the most beautiful antebellum mansions you've ever seen....Anne Rice's house is there! Other than the vegetation, it seemed to fair well too. The Bywater area, on the other hand, got rocked. As I was cabbing through, you could see all the "red-crossed" homes with the dates they were deemed uninhabitable....it was sad and creepy. They looked fine from the outside, but clearly they weren't.

Finally, in a bit of bittersweet commentary, I visited one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans, Marisol. Well, I visited what was left of Marisol. It's in the Marigny and was heavily damaged. I've been there a few times....actually every time I got to NO. But no more. The owners decided it was too costly to rebuild. The star of Marisol, Chef Pete, continues to cook on, though. What brought me to the Bywater area was his latest incarnation....he guest chefs at this little wine and cheese shop in the Bywater called Bacchanal. They open the back patio, serve wine and beer from the shop, and Chef Pete and his helpers cook these amazing menus of regional cuisine....and not New Orleans grub....he visits places like Mexico, Italy, Equador, Vietnam....all in the form of these amazing menus. It was Mexican fare this time and I was there with some work colleagues....the food was unreal! Keep in mind, we were literally melting from the heat and humidity, but somehow we didn't mind, once we got settled and started noshing. It ended up being a truly fabulous evening.

There's my travelogue for New Orleans....it is definitely worth a visit. They are ready for folks to return, spend some money and drink some booze. Just don't do it in August.