Short Takes
March 21, 2010
‘Eat, Pray, Love’ — Meet America’s Sweethearts
Some will say that Julia Roberts (America’s Sweetheart #1) was destined to play Elizabeth Gilbert (America’s Sweetheart #2) in the film adaptation of Eat Pray Love. Watch the trailer. Decide for yourself.
March 9, 2010
Simon & Garfunkel: On Tour
They’ve been through every permutation in their relationship, but if you saw them sing together at the MTV anniversary show (sadly, not on the web), you saw two men perform so brilliantly they looked at one another afterward, stunned. So we shouldn’t be surprised there’s a tour, starting in Canada in late April and then moving through the Plains. (More dates surely coming.)
A friend told me a story from the dawn of history: Paul had just started writing songs. He took his brother into the bathroom — the tiles improved the sound — and sang a song for him. And his brother shivered, because in those few minutes he couldn’t help but see Paul’s future. This is the song:March 9, 2010
Mary Herczog (1964-2010)
My friend Julie turned me on to cancerchick.com, the web site of her friend Mary Herczog, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996. Mary shared her ups and downs on this site for years; I got there late, when it was obvious she’d almost run out of time. On February 16, she finally gave it up; last weekend, there was a memorial service in Los Angeles. Julie wrote to me after: “I know it sounds weird, but it was life affirming and inspiring. The memorial started with Richard Thompson performing and ended with the traditional New Orleans’ style "Second Line" with a wonderful jazz brass band, at the oddly wonderful Hollywood Cemetery. She deserved it; she was beloved.”
March 4, 2010
Twyla Tharp: ‘Come Fly Away’
Nostalgic for the Olympics? No need. World-class athleticism has moved to Broadway, where the women in Twyla Tharp’s troupe are tossing off the dance equivalent of triple-axels and the men could teach Shaun White a thing or two about innovative leaps. Okay, I’m not a neutral observer — I was Ms. Tharp’s collaborator on her book, The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together — nor am I a dance critic. But even a casual theatergoer can’t miss the level of artistry in Come Fly Away, a dance musical built around the music of Frank Sinatra. Set in a night club, dancers pair up, break up, form new relationships, reunite. The words of love, regret and romantic hope are all Frank’s, who has never sung better; his pristine vocal tracks are supported by a massive — 19-piece — live band. But it’s the dancers, who reprise every great move that Twyla Tharp has devised over half a century and add some new ones, who flew me to the moon and back.
March 2, 2010
Blogroll: I Love Paris
… and so I have a crushette on Nichole Robertson, an American copywriter from New Jersey who gets to live in Paris for several months a year with her husband and two sons. Nicole has a jeweler’s eye, an advertising writer’s crisp prose, and priorities I admire: “Paris is a big source of inspiration to me, but unlike the stereotypical Francophile, I could care less about the fashion, the diet paradoxes or the "hot" spots. I like the way the light hits the centuries-old buildings, the unique juxtaposition of ancient and modern, the appreciation for beauty, the attention to detail, and of course the food.” A number of sites — Bonjour Paris, first and foremost — offer spirit-refreshing virtual visits to Paris. Add Little Brown Pen to the list — and to the Head Butler blogroll.
