VISITORS
Our buddy David Fernandez, in LA for some Disneyland meetings, got to spend Labor Day Weekend with us. He joined us for dinner with friends, had tea at Rose Tree Cottage, drove by the house from Father of the Bride and did a little shopping in historic Pasadena .
PARAMOUNT NIGHT/HOLLYWOOD BOWL
David finished off the visit with his first Hollywood Bowl concert. Leonard Slatkin conducted The Big Picture: The Films of Paramount Pictures which included themes from The Godfather, Love Story, True Grit, A Place in the Sun, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Chinatown , Indiana Jones and Titanic. Movie scenes accompanied the scores, which was the perfect evening for a film buff like David. Emcee Leonard Nimoy introduced a collection of music from the various Star Trek incarnations (and smartly avoided saying “…to BOWL-dly go.” Daryl and David tell me it was a great show and want to thank Rob and Shawn for inviting them.A HOUSE BLESSING
The following weekend, we joined our friends Ashika and Gaurav for their house blessing. It was a Hindu ceremony led by a priest and attended by family and friends.
There were about twenty of us, some in traditional Indian garb, seated on the living room floor around a small open fire. The doors and the windows were open for symbolic and practical considerations. The priest intoned the blessings and placed various spices and food into the flames. The rising smoke helps to cleanse the house and to discourage negative spirits or energy from settling in.
Like a wedding, different parts of the ceremony focused on Ashika and Gaurav, their parents or the group at large. There was some call-and-response, too, but since it wasn’t in English, I can only assume that we were pledging to help maintain a healthy, happy home—physically and spiritually—for our friends. We also passed around spices that were to be thrown into the fire en masse. This was definitely the high point for the younger family members.
Afterwards, we returned the living room to its regular state and stopped by the dining room table for some samosas, naan, and jalebi
Early on, the priest tied small cords onto each of our wrists which we are to leave on until they break off. Daryl’s is already gone but mine is still going strong, reminding me to think good thoughts for Ashika and Gaurav. I hope that strengthens their blessing.
A MOVIE CALLED “ONCE”
Here’s a great example of irony: Our buddy Justen has seen the movie Once four times.
Daryl and I accompanied him on that fourth viewing and could see why this small
story of a Dublin street musician resonated so strongly. It’s a musical without splashy dance numbers, opulent sets, or dream sequences. Instead, songs that move the story forward are performed by leads Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová within the context of the scene. We picked up the soundtrack the next day. Check your local art house for show times or look for the DVD in December. You can sample the music at the link above but I recommend hearing it within the story for maximum impact. A big thanks to Justen for sharing this wholly unique experience with us.
Incidentally, Glen and Markéta fell in love during the filming and are now touring as The Swell Season. They’ll be at the Wiltern Theater November 10.
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT/HOLLYWOOD BOWL
The next night we went to our final Hollywood Bowl show of the season: Rufus Wainwright Sings Judy Garland. Rufus, the son of folk singers Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, has five albums of original songs. He isn’t a household name but you might recognize his distinctive voice performing “Hallelujah” on the Shrek soundtrack.
Judy at Carnegie Hall is one of my Mom’s favorite albums, and I guess it’s one of Rufus’ because he performed the entire album of her classic 1961 concert. He did all twenty-six songs in order with the original arrangements starting with “When You’re Smiling” and ending with “Chicago ” Rufus even stopped to talk to the audience at the same points Judy did. During her concert, Judy went into the audience to give a kiss to Rock Hudson. Rufus went down and planted a kiss on a gracious Debby Reynolds who was in the front row with daughter Carrie. The crowd went crazy. Reviewing the track listing for Judy at Carnegie Hall will give you an idea of how intimidating it would be for anyone to mount this show. Wainwright performed signature songs like “Over the Rainbow”, “You Made Me Love You,” “The Trolley Song” and “The Man That Got Away” with an air of tribute, not imitation. He didn’t camp it up until the encore when he performed “Get Happy” in Judy’s fedora-coat-and-stockings outfit from Summer Stock. That was pretty funny.
Rufus’ sister, Martha Wainwright stopped the show with her mournful take on “Stormy Weather.” Like Rufus, her voice is hard to categorize but it reminded of Patsy Cline, k.d.lang, and Blossom Dearie. Mom Kate McGarrigle provided piano accompaniment on “Everytime We Say Goodbye.” Another special guest was Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft who took the stage and belted out “Nothing Could Be Finer Than To Be In Carolina.”
Rufus originally staged the show in Carnegie Hall and did so well that he took it to London, San Francisco and, ultimately The Hollywood Bowl. This final concert, that we were lucky to see, took place September 23, the forty-sixth anniversary of Judy’s Hollywood Bowl appearance. To learn more about Rufus or to find out the release date for his Judy Garland CD and DVD visit his official website.
Thank you to Rob and Shawn for inviting us along.
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK
Daryl spent the last weekend of the month in the city that never sleeps. He was in town for meetings and the Madison Square Garden premiere of High School Musical On Ice.
After meetings on Friday, Daryl got to see our friends Lee and Jessica and their new baby Lizzy. Later that evening, Daryl was able to see Girl Gang, a play written by Mark Knowles, his co-worker at Disney Interactive Studios. Daryl loved the musical with all the action of a pulp fiction novel and enough “camp” to fulfill its promise of a 1950’s B movie.
The next day Daryl was at MSG to preview the new HSM Karaoke video game. The game was so popular, that rather than lose their turn to sing, some families opted to miss the first few minutes of the ice show!
On Sunday, Daryl met up with Jeff Zitofsky, a college buddy that he hasn’t seen since 1990. They toured the Guggenheim, lunched at Alice’s Tea Cup and walked through Central Park before Daryl had to head for the airport.
WHAT’S ON TELEVISION?
The new TV season started at the end of September. In no particular order, here are the shows we’ve added to an already-full viewing schedule:
Pushing Daisies is the new ABC show I wrote about last month. It’s charming, but I’m not expecting it to last the whole season.
The Dirty Sexy Money pilot set up this ABC series well, but there was almost too much information. Peter Krause plays the lawyer hired to protect spoiled Darling family from themselves while he solves his father’s murder. The second episode had more emotion but still managed to overdo it with the “rich-people-are-crazy” scenes.
Reaper is a comedy from The CW about Sam, a 21-year-old loser who discovers his parents sold his soul to the Devil. Now, in addition to working at a Home Depot-esque warehouse, he has a part-time job collecting escapees from Hell and sending them back downstairs. (The closest portal is at the DMV, naturally.) Strangely, this new responsibility to well-dressed Satan seems to be improving Sam’s outlook on life.The pilot for the HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me couldn’t decide if it was thirtysomething or Cinemax After Dark. Three couples struggled with marital angst—and staying clothed—as the show explored the differences between commitment and trust; desire and need, intimacy and exposure. It bounced between gratuitous nudity and self-indulgent moping like an artsy French film—but it was still compelling. By the third episode, the creators seemed to find the proper tone. Now, this examination on what it means to be in a relationship offers uncomfortably honest stories told with equal amounts of frankness and subtlety. HBO has renewed it for a second season.
Mad Men is a one-hour drama from AMC set in a Madison Avenue advertising firm during the year 1960. The building is rife with smoking, drinking, discrimination and repression. The elevators have attendants, the switchboards have operators and the offices have only male occupants. Even though computers, cubicles and casual Fridays are 30 years off, these men and women face contemporary issues like promotions, politics, balance, burnout, and office romance. It’s my frontrunner for next year’s Emmys and has already been renewed for 2008.
Daryl discovered the BBC America gem How Clean Is Your House? whilst he was home sick one day. Hosts Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie tour the most disgusting houses in Britain, clutching their noses at the overwhelming “honk” of rotting food, floating pet dander, and neglected toilets. One homeowner even let her eleven parakeets fly and poop freely throughout her living room, dining room and kitchen. For eight years! While each house is being de-cluttered and disinfected, useful cleaning and health tips are shared. Kim and Aggie show how to clean without harsh chemicals, how to reduce the presence of household pests, and how to remove pesky stains from teacups. (Lemon juice and salt.) Another tip: In Britain, dishwashing liquid is called “washing up liquid” and laundry detergent is called “biological powder.”
Merv Griffin’s Crosswords is a syndicated game show on which contestants vie for cash and trips while solving a 15 x 15 puzzle. I like this one so much I signed up to be a contestant and was accepted. My episode was taped last week but I’m contractually obligated to stay mum about it until after its broadcast. I’ll forward the airdate when I find out myself.
STAR SIGHTINGS
Daryl and I were sitting in the front window of a small café when Hilary Duff peered in, gauged the line (we think) and turned away to leave. At the Rufus Wainwright show, we saw Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O’Connell and two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank.
NEXT MONTH
October should be fun. Tell you all about it next month.
James
