Extraordinary Times: Rainbows Over the White House & Reckoning with America’s Original Sin

Politics and Culture, , ,

This isn’t a “news” blog, and there’s nothing I have to say about the three humongous events that happened in the United States on Friday that hasn’t been said better already by others. But I can’t ignore them either, and having just listened to Obama’s Eulogy in Charleston (as it will be recorded in history books) I have to at least write something, another one of my imaginary letters trying to explain America to the rest of the world.

There’s a part of me so cynical, I couldn’t help seeing the irony that Ted Olson, the lawyer who helped win Gore v Bush, was the man who helped win marriage for millions. Months after his wife went down in a plane on 911, when the August 6th “Bin Laden determined to strike in the US” memo was leaked, did he think, “This is what I have wrought.” Was taking on the cause of marriage a penance? Continue reading Extraordinary Times: Rainbows Over the White House & Reckoning with America’s Original Sin →

Shout Out: Songs for the Fallen is Coming to New York!

Event, Theater, Movie, Event, Misci Reviews, ,

19th century Paris’ favorite party-girl is having a birthday party in Manhattan and you’re invited!

Songs for the Fallen will have a brief run at the New York Musical Theater Festival. What is it? And why should you absolutely get your tickets today? Here’s the description from the NYMT site:

Good girls don’t make history.

Paris, 1847. SONGS FOR THE FALLEN takes you through the extraordinary life of Marie Duplessis – courtesan, party girl, liar, and legend – from desperate poverty to her meteoric rise as the most notorious woman in France. Part vaudeville, part cabaret, part MTV-goes-Baroque, it is the wild and hilarious tale of a woman who knew one thing: good girls don’t make history. The unbelievable tale that inspired The Lady of the Camellias, La traviata, and Moulin Rouge!, SONGS FOR THE FALLEN is an invitation to the decadent final party of the real-life woman.

Here’s a trailer:

(Dates and ticket prices from trailer NOT for NY production)

Ok, so in their version, Marie isn’t a vampire (like she is in Blood Diva), but she’s still a thoroughly post-modern superstar. If you’re obsessed with Ms Duplessis, and who isn’t? Then this is the show for you, so click a link and get your tickets. They’re under $30, and there are only five performances, so act now.

And if you’re with the show, and would like a free signed copy of Blood Diva, it can totally happen. Honest, I’m your advance person in New York, just ask me to do anything (no comps needed). Woo-hoo! And welcome to the Big Apple!

Theater Mini-view: Act of God

Event, Theater, Movie, Event, Misci Reviews, ,

I don’t think I’ve ever watched an entire episode of The Big Bang Theory. I’ve tried. But I just found it offensive on SO many levels. The dumb blonde. The socially-awkward geniuses.The stereotype Jewish mother from a 100 years ago. Hint show: Real Jewish mother’s come in all shapes, sizes, and philosophies, and Ilana’s mother on Broad City is probably closer to the mark. However, Jim Parsons is an appealing performer, and I kind of regret NOT seeing him on Broadway when he was in Harvey although old-timey workhorse shows like that, no matter how well cast and directed, have no ability to surprise us once the movie version is ingrained in our head.

SOO when neither my sister nor I scored lottery tickets for On The Town (which wouldn’t have surprised us either, but would have done so musically) I went to TKTS and scored cheap seats (if you think $65 a pop is cheap) to Act of God. Act of God is not to be confused with the similarly titled Hand of God, which does not star Jim Parsons and is probably all together a nastier and more cynical show, Continue reading Theater Mini-view: Act of God →

How You Can STILL Get Blood Diva Free (and Why You’d Bother)

book reviews

blooddiva_pass2 (1)The never to be repeated five days of Blood Diva totally FREE on Kindle are over. Will this help boost sales of my well-reviewed but not exactly bestselling sexy, campy, vampire masterpiece for high-brow types who like a little smut with their serving of culture and deep philosophical musings? Aside from me, who cares?

This post is about you, gentle reader, and how you can still read Blood Diva for FREE, and why you might want to.

(Click here to read the rest of this life-altering offer.)

The Crying of Plot 33, Wayward Pines Episode 6 – Recap

Kay Gardella Memorial TV Review Blog

Last week Wayward Pines dumped a truckload of information on us, but somehow it worked. Can they pull off the same hat trick twice?

Not really.

We open with the town in flames. We know it’s Wayward Pines because the hotel sign tells us so, and we saw the carousel. Pilcher is looking around at the aftermath. Flashback or flash-forward? We’ll find out or guess soon enough, but it would have been nice to get more than a teaser, especially as much of the episode consists of Pilcher telling Ethan what we already knew or could have figured out for ourselves. (Read the rest of this detailed recap over at Happy Nice Time People because they know you like to watch and read about it later. Then come back here and look around at some of the other neat stuff. You can thank me by clicking here. I promise nothing bad will happen!)