Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Bonjour Paris!

It's a good day to fly to Paris.  While we won't be singing our way down the Champs-Élysées, I remain very excited to spend some time in the romantic City of Lights.  Recent book club reads The Paris Wife and A Moveable Feast and Woody Allen's latest, Midnight in Paris, have me even more in a French frame of mind.  Something tells me I may have a Russell Crowe sort of moment on Thursday night.  And I think a visit to Laduree for a macaroon or two is also in order!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Pop Culture Weekend

Every once in a while, the calendar lines up so that my birthday falls close to Easter.  This was one of those years, which also very conveniently meant I had Friday off from work.  And what were my industrious goals for that extra day in the weekend?

1.  Getting ready for my book club meeting about Water for Elephants, which was my suggestion for April, and reading reviews of the movie version.  Also, wondering what Robert Pattinson will do post-Twilight.  This was not in fact necessary for book club preparation, but a pleasant diversion nonetheless.

2.  Watching Giant, which was recorded from Turner Classic Movies during their Elizabeth Taylor marathon earlier in the month.  She really did have a vibrant screen presence -- so sensual and alive.

3.  Seeing a few episodes of Band of Brothers, and perfecting my impression of a World War II paratrooper during battle.  (You might notice all of these activities could be done from a comfortable sofa.)

4.  Getting my ping pong on at Spin and standing very near to Susan Sarandon while a guy in a Speedo and nothing else battled to be tournament champ.  You might say Susan and I hung out, technically.  (Also: this meant I actually got off the sofa!)

And in a final pop culture installment for the weekend, a very thoughtful someone surprised me with tickets to Anything Goes on Broadway for Sunday afternoon.  A buoyant, brash, hilarious musical, I almost never wanted it to end, and the dance numbers had us tapping up and down the staircase during intermission.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor: 1932-2011


Elizabeth Taylor has passed away at the age of 79.  A potent combination of beauty, talent, and sheer star power, Ms. Taylor became famous as a child actor and never stayed far from the public's imagination thereafter.  From her serious health scares to her multiple marriages, the drama of Ms. Taylor's off-screen life frequently rivalled that her on-screen roles.  She was one of the last great movie stars.

There are many tributes appearing online: The New York Times obituary, this 1986 piece by Vincent Canby, a look back from The Washington Post, an appreciation from Roger Ebert, and another obituary from Entertainment Weekly.  Vanity Fair has a number of articles at their site, including this excerpt from a book on Ms. Taylor's passionate relationship (and two marriages) with Richard Burton.