Have you ever sat in an auditorium listening to someone lecture about something important and thought, “How weird would it be if I stood up and started singing Abba’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’ right now?” No? Not ever? Would you choose a different tune or have you really never engaged in a spontaneous need at an inappropriate moment to express yourself in song? Wow, okay. I was running this morning through the neighborhood and suddenly felt the urge to stick my arms out like wings and … [Read more...]
Sunday cafe: Norway, Boehner, Winehouse, and gay marriage in New York
You can read thousands of articles about the tragedy in Norway, and ask one question: why? Ninety-three people are dead, many of them young idealists gathered together to share and listen and think about the future of their country and the world. Anders Behring Breivik believed his world had become too diverse. Too many Muslims, too many immigrants so different from himself. Like Jared Lee Loughner, he committed his heinous crimes because of insanity. (I know, innocent until proven guilty … [Read more...]
Monday motherhood: my funny girls
I like to sing. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. Sometimes, I’ve felt good enough to warble in front of people, though nowadays those opportunities need not be seized. When I was a kid, I listened to John Denver and sang “Rocky Mountain High” whenever I could. But it was the women who really worked my vocal chords and taught me pitch and how to hold a note – Carly Simon, Melissa Manchester, Joni Mitchell, Roberta Flack and oh, Barbra Streisand. Babs – she was IT. Our “Funny Girl” … [Read more...]
Monday review: Despicable Me, summer television and the World Cup
You’d have to be living in a cave not to recognize that the minions are taking over the world. They’re on billboards, they’re at iHop and now they’re all over my house. It’s fine, though, because they’re adorable and so is the movie in which they appear. “Despicable Me” had its premiere in downtown Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. Several thousand showed up to watch Steve Carell’s super villain Gru try to steal the moon with the help of three adorable little orphan girls. And the minions. … [Read more...]