Tag Archives: broadway

The Revolutionary Costume for Today

Being a Gay man who is both a Southern boy and a W&L boy, I spend a lot of time worrying about clothes and appearances….

I try not to, but I can’t help it….

When I went to my first Gay Pride Rally/March years ago, my biggest worry was what to wear?  Especially, since I didn’t even own a t-shirt back then-and still rarely wear jeans.  Ralph Lauren seemed a bit much for the event, but I think I wore it anyway….

And we somehow ended up marching with “The Women of the Land” who were Lesbians who were into simple living in a natural environment.  They were not wearing Ralph, but they were real sweet and we got along just fine….

Anyway, here is some  advice from Little Edie from “Grey Gardens”, the musical.  This was a flawed show, but I still saw it twice in New York.  Once off-Broadway and again on Broadway.  Christine Ebersole really earned her Tony….

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NO Wire Hangers!!!! Christina Crawford To Reveal Mother Joan Crawford’s Naked Home Videos

Never have children….

Never adopt children….

Never even talk to children…..

They will get their revenge eventually….

And it’s also a really good idea to avoid making nudie movies….

From The Huffington Post:

 

Broadway, hide your wire coat hangers. Joan Crawford’s daughter, Christina Crawford, is developing a one-woman show where she not only plans to reveal new secrets about her life with Mommie Dearest, Joan Crawford, but also show never before seen home movies of the screen legend in the nude.

“I began my career as an actress and I’ve always loved the theater,” Crawford tells me. “The Play is based on two of my books, the 30th Anniversary Edition of Mommie Dearest and my third book, Survivor — both of which were best sellers. It covers a long period of time and a much more complete story.”

Additionally, Christina reveals that she has discovered Joan’s (she never refers to her as her “mother”) blue movies — naked home videos that she cannot believe the controlling star never destroyed.

“I never knew that they existed before a year ago and never saw them before a month ago,” Crawford says. “I remembered her telling me about her married lover, Charles McCabe; however I never saw photos of him, till the home movies, when they were hunting, fishing, and canoeing in The Poconos.”

Christina says the most shocking thing she discovered during her research was Joan’s quiet desperation in her later years. But she still cannot forgive her mother for the childhood she had to survive, which included being beaten by wire hangers.

“Forgiveness is a two-way street and she never took responsibility for her behavior,” Christina tells me. Which is why she has chosen to call her show that she hopes to take on the road before Broadway, “Surviving Mommie Dearest.”

via Christina Crawford To Reveal Mother Joan Crawford’s Naked Home Videos.

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Filed under Broadway, Entertainment, Movies, Television

Broadway and ‘Glee’s’ Cheyenne Jackson Weds Longtime Partner

Cheyenne Jackson is one of my favorite Broadway performers.  He is not only immensely talented and gorgeous, he also does a lot of good work for AIDS and Gay causes.

I’ll always remember when Steve and I saw him and his partner walking up 8th Avenue with their dog just after we saw him in “Finian’s Rainbow”.  They looked so nice and normal.

Congratulations to Cheyenne and Monte!

From The Hollywood Reporter:

The thespian, who stars as the coach of rival singing group Vocal Adrenaline on “Glee” and is a frequent guest star on “30 Rock,” married his longtime boyfriend over the weekend.

Cheyenne Jackson married his longtime partner physicist Monte Lapka, in the Hamptons on Saturday.

“It’s official, after 11 years together, Zora’s no longer a bastard,” Jackson tweeted, referring to the couple’s dog. “Married the best man I’ve ever known.”

The actor-singer is perhaps best known for his role on Fox’s Glee, as the coach of rival singing group Vocal Adrenaline, and his frequent guest stints on NBC’s 30 Rock

via ‘Glee’s’ Cheyenne Jackson: 5 Things to Know – The Hollywood Reporter.

 

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A Few Scenes from My Favorite Labor Day Musical…

People seem to forget “The Pajama Game” that it was a Musical about Unions vs Management.

In the movie, Doris Day represented the Union and John Raitt was management.

Shows how far we’ve come in the depiction of Unions from what it was in their 1950’s heyday…

Anyway.  Love the Movie. Saw it on Broadway a few years ago with Harry Connick, Jr and Kelli O’Hara.  Loved it on stage.

Here’s the big Labor Day Picnic scene from the movie:

And, of course, the unforgettable Carol Haney doing Bob Fosse’s choreography to  “Steam Heat” in the film.

And a little Harry Connick, Jr and Kelli O’Hara from the 2008 Broadway revival:

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Happy Birthday Hubbell Gardner and the Sundance Kid: Robert Redford is 75 Today

I really can’t believe it….

The Golden Boy is 75 years old today.  Actor, Director, Humanitarian, Activist and Steward of the Earth Robert Redford is 75 today.

Here are a few of my favorite memories of this one of a kind legend:

First, my all time favorite Redford film that featured him at his most beautiful and iconic:

Another iconic performance with another icon, Paul Newman:

A little-known film that was one of his first and one of my favorites.  “Inside Daisy Clover” with his dear friend, the wonderful Natalie Wood:

Another quirky, very different film from the ’70’s, “Jeremiah Johnson”:

And finally, the classic film about Politics, “The Candidate”, that he produced himself in 1972:

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Filed under Elections, Movies, Uncategorized

Happy Birthday, Eydie Gorme!

Let’s leave Rick Perry alone for  few minutes and talk about someone truly important;  Eydie Gorme is 80 today…

She’s such a part of the 20th Century Music scene, I couldn’t let this milestone go unnoticed.  She’s one of the last of the great Broadway belters.  I somehow think you could hear Eydie even without the microphone, no matter how big the house…

She also has one of the longest musical partnerships- and marriages- in Show Business with her husband, Steve Lawrence.

They are so “Vegas in the ’60’s” you can’t help but love them.  They are iconic 20th Century entertainment figures.

I bet Rick Perry even listened to her back when he was a cheerleader at Texas A&M….

Happy Birthday, Eydie.  I hope you have many more!

Here she is in 1966:

And a little Steve AND Eydie:

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Tim Pawlenty: Mr Cellophane Withdraws

Tim Pawlenty has dropped  out of the GOP presidential primary race.

My question is:  Will anyone notice?

Seems like no one but the press paid him any attention anyway.  He had to be the most bland character in the race.

He was easy to overlook.  Easy to forget about.

He was Mr. Cellophane…

Of course, we could carry the “Chicago” analogy farther.  Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann fighting it out as Velma and Roxie.  Mitt Romney as Billy Flynn.  Newt Gingrich as Mama Morton…

Anyway…

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Filed under Broadway, Congress, Elections, Politics

A Foggy Day in Londontown….

I’m thinking of London, one of my favorite cities, tonight…

I’ve been there about a half-dozen times and I felt at home there from the first moment I arrived.  Maybe its genetic memory…

As Samuel Johnson said:  “Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

London is having a rough time right now with riots and violence in the streets….

And all I can do is wish her well, remember her fondly,  play a few songs and look forward to our next visit, whenever that may be….

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Happy Birthday, Anna Kendrick!

She is only 26 years old today….

But she already has had an amazing career- with, hopefully, much more to come!

Surprisingly, this is one of my top rated and most viewed posts….so I’m going to re-post it again on this talented young lady’s birthday….

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I love it when I find new performers and then learn they are already seasoned veterans…

Anna Kendrick was nominated for an Oscar this year for “Up in the Air.” She’s also been in the “Twilight” movies. I knew she looked familiar and discovered a couple of clips of earlier musical performances I had seen. I thought I would share.

Her she is as a very small child,  singing a song from “Show Boat” at the “Leading Ladies” Broadway Benefit– with the “Cabaret” Kit Kat Club girls.  She had just been nominated for a Tony Award for “High Society” when she appeared in the show on Broadway:

And here is the scene I loved and remembered well from “Camp”.  I just didn’t realize it was her.  She comes in after about 25 seconds:

This young lady has a long and exciting career ahead of her.

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Filed under Broadway, Entertainment, New York, Social Commentary, Theatre

Happy Birthday, Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett is 85 today.  And has a new duets album coming out this fall…

He’s truly amazing….

Here he is singing his signature song on “The Judy Garland Show”….

And from a couple of years ago, with KD Lang:

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Filed under Broadway, Music