Earthquake!!!

I have a confession to make. My blogs are going down in number each month since I started this adventure. If any of you out there are checking, I admit I am not keeping up with blogging as well as I thought I would. This blog will have an August date but it is really all about July. You see July is my birthday month and I have been celebrating since the 20th. Sorry about that but let me bring you in on some of my adventures. On my actual birthday, I had lunch with several good friends, three who share the same birth-day. One of them invited us to his home and what a special time it was. I received several phone calls from my family and friends.....the truth is they dare NOT call. Years ago, I threw a hissy-fit demanding attention be paid to me "on my birthday" and since then, they do call religiously....some just under the wire at 11:30pm but that is ok. I got several cards and left for a planned trip two days later to LA to visit my son. What a trip....OMG!

It started off with a canceled 5am flight, followed up a day later with a car accident, and finally the day before I returned home, an EARTHQUAKE!! In between, my family made great memories and had one major meltdown. I really wonder about families who never see each other or go years in between visits. Are they happier? Do they have major confrontations when they do see each other?? Well, we did and we survived. Maybe that is better...to get together knowing things could get messy but be willing to show up, walk through the stormy moments and endure so there are no regrets about not being there and some good memories often captured in a few good pictures.

The accident occurred on Friday midday when we were in lines of freeway traffic on our way to lunch and "boom", a car rear-ended us. Fortunately, the only loss was time, no one was hurt and after an hour or so, we were on our way. At night, we saw the movie, "Step-Brothers" with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly and while I did laugh several times, it really was a crude potty humor movie for eleven year old boys. Only in this movie which was rated R, the language was also over the top vulgar so eleven year olds wouldn't be allowed in to see it. I guess they were looking for the 40 year old with an 11 year old inner child. The edge was pushed way out by showing a body part (well, two of them)caressing a drum....oh yeah.

My birthday lunch with the family was Saturday at a beautiful spot in Malibu called Moonshadow. (Later, we were told the place was made famous by Mel Gibson when he spent a night partying there and ended up arrested for DUI on the Pacific Coast Highway.) It is right on the ocean and we sat out on their deck with the waves crashing below, the temperature a perfect 75 and absolutely delicious food. That night we went to the ballpark and watched the Dodgers play and win. Again, great seats, perfect weather and mind-blowing baseball plays. Sunday was my son's day and he gathered over a hundred friends at Elysian Park for a personal best celebration. It was wonderful meeting so many people who truly love him.

On Monday, everyone headed home except me and I was treated to lunch with an old friend who works in animation out of a studio in Burbank. He is directing educational videos for children of Americans overseas. Seeing how the process takes place all within their studio is so exciting. It is all done with computers, green screens, one live very talented adult male, a fun script, great direction and a terrific musical score. Dinner that night was with friends from home who live in LA. Conversation was very interesting because this former backyard neighbor is a CGI (computer generated images) expert and has worked on several big studio films, the most recent being "Batman". He has been on a hiatus since January when he finished his six months on the biggest blockbuster movie of the year. I was learning about professions that are creative and not well known to most of us.

Tuesday was my personal day since a spa treatment at the Four Seasons had been given to me as a gift from my children. I was sleeping in, taking it easy, playing solitaire on the computer when the floor rumbled. I thought...mmm this feels like a subway train is going underneath me and then I thought, OMG, this isn't a subway, it is an EARTHQUAKE!!! First off, I was in my nightgown on the fourth floor of a hotel in Burbank. I watched the room jump and shake....the tv which was 54 inches and bolted to the cabinet began to bounce up and down and sideways. I thought it was going to fall off. My thoughts raced....do I get under the table, go stand in the doorway, and what about my lack of clothes. This went on for about 15 seconds and it stopped. My heart was racing. I tried to call my son but the lines were not working. I waited. The tv was reporting the earthquake at 5.4, then 5.8. I decided to get dressed, which I did and wait for my son to take me to the spa. The wonderful woman there, a native of California, was very casual saying, the building we were in was on rollers and we wouldn't feel anything. She was so calm and so I thought well, what a way to go!!

The trip ended with the movie, "Tell No One", from the book of the same name by the American writer, Harlan Coben, but made in France with subtitles. It is a story of a husband Dr Beck, well played by Francois Cluzet whose wife is kidnapped and murdered by strangers without any apparent motive. Eight years later, he receives an email that makes him revisit the events surrounding her death. This is a true mystery, fast-paced and very complex. The plot is difficult if not impossible to figure out so just hang on as the story unfolds. Although finished in 2006 and the recipient of several awards, it is just making its way to a screen near you. I recommend you run to see it because I am sure it won't be around very long.

And, I did have one star sighting, Rosie Perez was at the spa when I was there. In person, she is very soft spoken and quite gentle.

Wednesday, I flew back east, tired but happy I was able to have such adventures, mostly good with one exception. That exception may have been necessary to appreciate all the good moments.

Calling all "Chicks"---Have I got a flick for you...

"Mamma Mia!" opened yesterday and between that and The Dark Knight, the box office at the movies will make a killing this weekend and it should. This is what summer is all about. Escapism!! I also think it is wonderful that the Drive-ins now show the new movies and you can watch both of these movies under the stars. They are equally fun and worth seeing for different reasons and maybe for different people. For my taste, the Knight was a little too long adding in the story of "Two Face" to the already satisfying "Joker" and it wasn't necessary even though well done.

But Mamma Mia is a true "chick flick"---all women, young and old (okay, maybe especially old) will smile and want to get up and dance. I remembered when two of my friends and I would do just that, laughing all the way. With all due respect to the Times, A.O.Scott, get over yourself!! Why send a man to this movie for a review---oh, I forgot, all the movie critics are men!!!! OOPS!! Anyway, Meryl Streep clearly had a blast and so did everyone else and their infectious enthusiasm for this movie, the songs, and each other came through loud and clear. None of them had the best voices but they were us singing our hearts out over men, love, our children, remorse and each other. It was the most fun I have had in a movie theater this year. I know the 'boy' critics like Roeper loved "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" because it is their version of a male "chick flick." It has beautiful babes with boobs, bodies and sex every which way you can. But women like something else. We like to reminisce, laugh and pretend. We could with this movie. So, gather your girl buddies and go, preferably to the Drive-in and take a little wine (designate the driver.!!)

I will bet you will hear everyone there singing right along with you.

Summer Theater in the Berkshires

I love summer theater even when it is mediocre but I hit a golden vein recently when I visited the Berkshires, specifically Williamstown Summer Theater, Williamstown, Mass and The Berkshire Theater in Stockbridge, Mass. I saw three plays in two days (drama, musical, and comedy) and felt I had hit the mother lode---they were really good and anyone who knows me knows I don't say that often. I can put them into a good, better, best line-up if that helps anyone in that area who can only see one. I think one has closed and the others have another week or so left. You can go to the respective theater websites for details.

First up is Brokology, a new play written by Nathan Louis Jackson. It is about the decisions families make that sometimes supports the family unit but can also tear it apart. It sets up the emotional struggle for one brother who chooses to set off on a different path in a different place. Education provides him the opportunity to leave his ghetto environment but that also means leaving his brother and father. Whatever choice he makes he knows will be viewed either as running away from the responsibility of caring for his ill father and leaving his brother with that burden or not having the courage to leave. Written by a rising young African American writer, the story uniquely portrays an age-old conflict in the context of a city black family.

The play is performed on the Nikos Stage at Williamstown by four accomplished actors, Wendall Pierce, April Yvette Thompson, Francois Battiste and Gaius Charles. I was particularly impressed with Francois Battiste who has appeared in New York Theater on Broadway and at the Public. He is talented and he is trained. I hope he keeps working hard because he has what it takes. This play deserves to be seen again and it provides meaty acting roles for those lucky enough to get to show off their talent in a bright new piece.

That was good, the musical, She Loves Me, on the mainstage at Williamstown, was even better. Every one delivers their role with the multi-layers required by any musical. Each one must sing, dance and act and they do it with ease, energy and talent. I have not seen across the board talent like this in a long time. Usually in a production, one or two of the cast are great and then the others fall away. This was great ensemble work and the leads were fabulous. Brooks Ashmanskas (Georg) delivers the signature song, She Loves Me, like a reincarnation of Donald O'Connor. (if anyone knows who I am talking about). The delivery boy (Jason Babinsky) sings and dances his way through, Try Me, with such grace and versatility that I could only sit with a dropped jaw at what I was seeing. This is about the performances. They lift a very likable musical into the "Hello Dolly" stratosphere. It was exciting to watch and thoroughly enjoyable. The new artistic director at Williamstown, Nicholas Martin, directed and if this is any sign of the caliber of work he will bring to this theater program, I am very excited.

And now for the best....The Book Club Play, a new play by Karen Zacarias, performed at the Berkshire Theater in Stockbridge, Mass. This was not on my agenda but decided at the last minute to drive over and see an afternoon preview and am I glad I did. The program notes indicate the playwright is prolific and has five (5) world premieres this year!! She has won many awards and this play began its path (to Broadway I hope) at the 2007 O'Neill Playwrights Conference. I would love to see her other work and will keep watch for it. This play is a play within a documentary because what is happening on stage is also being video taped. The actors work in and out of this frame which keeps them and the audience on its toes. At one point, when things are definitely out of control among the participants and they don't want themselves being recorded, the camera is covered and the stage goes black even though you can still hear their voices. No one knew how to turn off the video equipment!!!

The premise is a book club with both male and female members, how it operates, choosing books and its members and for some reason, they agree to be videotaped. At one point, there is an interloper who holds a mirror up to the group, one they find surprising and disturbing. The group decides to expel him and try to go back to who they were but cannot. The dialogue is fast, funny and realistic. Anyone who has ever been in a book club will identify but that qualification is not necessary to enjoy this play. It is funny, very funny, and full of surprises. Think Noises Off, Reality Show and a touch of Christopher Guest thrown in.

The cast is diverse both in gender, age, and ethnicity adding to the richness of the story. Sarah Marshall and Bhavesh Patel are lucky to have been cast as the more colorful characters but they bring such talent to their portrayals, the roles are lucky to have them. All of the cast is terrific!! This could play forever in regional theaters but I do hope someone takes it to the "big city." It plays until the 19th....RUN if you can to see it. You will NOT be disappointed. I guarantee it!!!

More movies....

Summer always does this to me. The weather is better. I want to get out and it is easy to go to a movie only there is nothing to see. So I turn to kids movies--Wall-E.....did you see it? It has gotten over the top reviews - the best Pixar ever!! I saw it and I liked it but my daughter didn't. Now you have to understand something, I am the one with all the opinions, my daughter isn't but I knew almost instantly she was not happy. She fidgeted in her seat, shifting around and when it ended, she bolted up the isle. We are a family who sits and watches credits. Anyone who does this knows they sometimes give you a little more information or even a laugh. But the rule was not being followed that night. Jill was up that aisle and out of the theater.

I was hesitant to ask but I finally did. "What did you think of the movie?" Her answer was astonishing and I thought for a minute, she had turned into me. "I hated it," she said. And then, she gave all the reasons. Wall-e was not "cute." He was dirty, made out of ugly trash and did nothing all day except make squares of trash. The people in the movie, she felt, were depicted as fat lazy Americans who did nothing to save earth. This was not a good message and worse was the one delivered by the feminine presence, Eve.(interesting name) She was perfectly shaped, pure white, glowing but if startled, her arm became a weapon of mass destruction. As my daughter went on and on with what she believed were very subtle, but terrible messages this movie was delivering, I had to stop and think about what she said. I realized her opinions were real giving me pause about this movie. I thought again about women in movies and realized that even in a cartoon, the feminine presence was deadly. Interesting. Think about it and talk amongst yourselves.