Murder, She Wrote

My son has teased me for years - about everything under the sun - but mostly about getting older.

If I have to hang up the phone because I have a pressing deadline he'll say, "Yes, I know you can't miss your rerun of Murder, She Wrote."

Now Angela Lansbury, aka, Jessica Fletcher, the writer/sleuth on Murder, She Wrote, has become HOT!

On Sunday night she won her FIFTH Tony Award. Everybody knows the Tonys are the most prestigious awards. And the Tony Awards show is the most entertaining evening of television. Last Sunday night was the best!

Even that rocker guy getting hit over the head in the first number didn't bring us down. I agree with Neal Patrick Harris who said, "He gave a new meaning to 'head banging.'

But back to Angela. She was a movie star before most Americans living today were born. She was nominated for three Oscars and 18 Emmys. Oh, and she's won six Golden Globes.

She played the very creepy mother of Laurence Harvey in The Manchurian Candidate when she was younger than him in real life.

And now, at age 83 she's staring on Broadway again. This time in Blithe Spirit.

I don't know about you but I don't want to be doing eight shows a week when I'm 83 years old.

And I'm not crazy about Blithe Spirit - so maybe I'll try to catch up with Angela this summer by watching some old reruns of "Murder, She Wrote."


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The Meaing of Enough

I was listening to a stranger at a party the other night talking about the economy and the pain of having to cut back on some expensive toys.

As you know, I taught a class a few months ago called "Enough."

My boyfriend and I both know the meaning of enough. We know one way to be rich is to live within our means - and to be happy about it. Well, I'm not always happy about it but I know it's the right attitude to have.

The Apostle Paul said, "I have learned to be content in all circumstances." And that's saying something because, by our standards, he got himself into some pretty dandy messes.

My favorite writer, Kurt Vonnegut once told the following story: He was at a party with another great writer, Joseph Heller. It was at this rich guy's fabulous beach house. Kurt said, "Joe, doesn't it bother you that this guy makes more in a day than you ever made for Catch-22?"

Heller replied, "No, not really. I have something he doesn't have. I know the meaning of enough."


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A Bronx Tale

In 1993 Chazz Palminteri wrote an autobiographical movie about himself as a 9 year old child who witnessed a murder. The movie was, "A Bronx Tale." It starred Robert De Niro as his bus driving, straight arrow dad. De Niro directed it as well.

Interestingly, Palminteri played Sonny, the popular, charismatic Mafia don who committed the murder and then became the little boy's friend and patron so the kid wouldn't turn him in.

It's one of the best morality movies ever made.

My good friend and recently retired university professor used to require his students to watch "A Bronx Tale" in his ethics classes.

My son, the one who's a real film buff, thinks it's one of the best movies ever made.

I'm now here with my boyfriend in Minneapolis, one of the most cultural cities in the country, for the summer. Yesterday's paper had a write up of "A Bronx Tale." Not the '93 movie, but a play that's running currently here in the city.

It stars Chazz Palminteri. This time he's doing all the parts. A one man show. So he plays himself as a child and Sonny and other mobsters like Frankie Coffee Cake and Jimmy Ten-Two (he had feet that turned outward, as if telling the time.)

I hope "A Bronx Tale," the play, is still a powerful tale of moral strength.

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I'm Still an Orphan

Quote from Oscar Wilde's, "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Lady Bracknell: Are your parents living?
Jack: I have lost both my parents.
Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.

I just finished reading a moving article in "The New York Times Magazine." It's adapted from the new book by Christopher Buckley called "Losing Mum and Pup."

It deals with Buckley losing his famous parents, Patrica and William F. Buckley.

I can relate to Buckley's account of becoming an orphan at age 55. Of course, we have absolutely nothing else in common. William F. Buckley and his wife were descendants of old, old money; accomplished, conservative and elitist.

I was about 55 years old when my dad (and last remaining parent) died. As dads go, mine was no great shakes, but, Christopher Buckley had serious issues with his parents as well.

But we were both surprised at our feelings of now being the last generation of our families. Or, as Buckley says:

You've now moved into the green room of the River Styx.

I love Christopher Buckley's writing. It's crisp, funny and real. And not one bit elitist like his dad's. (Although listening to William F. Buckley speak was always entertaining.)

This article reminded me that all of us have issues with our parents that need to be put to bed. Some of us find it to be too painful and prefer to take them to the grave.

I think the book "Losing Mum and Pup" can be a source of healing for all of us orphans.


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Broadway Musicals

The other day I ended my posting by saying that Oklahoma is "my second favorite Broadway musical."


Yesterday at church several people wanted to know my favorite. It's always interesting when somebody I don't know walks up to me and says,


"OK what is your favorite musical?" Or "I don't agree with your movie review."


But I like it. It means they're reading the blog.


Oklahoma is my second favorite because I don't really have a favorite. I love Phantom of the Opera and I loved The Music Man but for different reasons.



The Broadway musical that has made the most impact on my life is Ragtime. It was produced in 1998 but was taken from a 1975 best selling book by E. L. Doctorow.



Around the year 2000 my husband and I saw a matinee of the touring company. Since he was in a wheelchair we ended up sitting practically on the stage. We were in section AAA which is not seen as an advantageous place because it's too close.



I am not an emotional person. I'm logical to a fault. But from the time the curtain opened and those different ethnic groups began swirling in circles - and since I was right up there so I felt like I was swirling with them - to the very end, I was a blubbering mess.


I can totally relate to the character "Mother" and her metamorphoses.



Now I don't listen to Ragtime much because it just evokes so much emotion that it's not always comfortable.



Music that challenges our social conscience can do that.


Another one of my favorite musicals is Chicago. It has no social conscience.





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Broadway

The other night I attended a dinner/theater production at my church called Broadway Bound. It was outstanding. Almost everything my church does is over the top good. Why?

Excellence attracts excellence - and, of course, the motivation is the highest.

The music was mostly from three old time Broadway musicals, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and Oklahoma.

Of the three, Oklahoma is my favorite. It is the quintessential American musical. It changed the way musicals were done.

Produced in 1943, Oklahoma was the first musical to tell a story. Prior to that musicals had little or no plot. Oklahoma was a love story full of realism and tragedy.

Prior to Oklahoma the concept of a dream ballet was completely unheard of.

Oklahoma ran for over five years on Broadway and broke all records up to that time.

Many years ago I heard lyricist and composer Sylvia Fine speak. (She was also the wife of Danny Kaye.) She told this story about Oklahoma.

A few years after World War II the America company of Oklahoma appeared in London. The show was already well known in Europe by then. All of London was still feeling deeply moved by what the Americans had done in the war. When the play was over there was thunderous applause and then the London theater goers continued to thank the American Oklahoma performers by singing the entire score back to them.

Oklahoma is America - and it's my second favorite Broadway musical.


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Popcorn

The Orlando Sentinel runs ads occasionally for people to sign up for test trials. The Rippe Lifestyle Institute hires participants to be part of a study on diabetes or smoking or snoring or high blood pressure.

The last few days the ad has stated that the institute is conducting a study for overweight men and women to assess the effectiveness of consuming popcorn as part of an overall approach to a healthy diet.

They wouldn't hire me for this study because I'm not overweight.

One of the big reasons for that is because I am a lifelong DAILY eater of popcorn. It's my fallback food. If I have the munchies, I eat popcorn. If I'm not hungry or feel a little queasy, I eat popcorn.

The last few years I've eaten Kettle Corn from the farmer's market. The popcorn lady and I are best buds. We're both sad that I'm leaving for the summer and will be Kettle Corn deprived - but my boyfriend plans to make it up to me.

This popcorn is lightly salted and sugared. It's low in calories and high in fiber. The taste is to die for.

I've weighed about 114 pounds for over 30 years. What's my secret? (Besides watching what I eat and exercising every single day.)

Listen up Rippe Lifestyle Institute. It's popcorn.

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